


Effective Human Copulation: A Perspective

by MoonwalkingCrab



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Anal Sex, Being Mitaka Is Suffering, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, Jealousy, M/M, Poor Dopheld Mitaka, Rimming, Snoke Does Not Understand Human Biology, Snoke Loves Romcom Tropes, Snoke Ships It, Wingman Phasma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 08:56:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonwalkingCrab/pseuds/MoonwalkingCrab
Summary: Trying to start a new relationship with your hated coworker is hard at the best of times, nevermind when your slightly senile alien boss seems to take it as his personal science project.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Effective Human Copulation: A Study](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10821051) by [Supreme_Leader_Snoke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supreme_Leader_Snoke/pseuds/Supreme_Leader_Snoke). 



Boots clipping across the shining floor, Hux squared his shoulders. This was it, the first time Snoke had summoned him since Starkiller. He breathed deep, trying to quell the nervous anticipation in his stomach. No matter what happened he would face it with dignity, so when the Supreme Leader greeted him with a somewhat terrifying attempt at a smile it took everything Hux had not to turn and run.

 "Ah General, thank you for meeting with me today.”

 Hux swallowed his nerves and schooled his face into impassivity, “Yes Supreme Leader. I am ready to accept whatever punishment you deem necessary for my failure on Starkiller.” His fists clenched behind his back, the leather of his gloves tightening against his knuckles.

 The glowing blue hologram seemed to flicker as the enlarged version of Snoke tilted his head. Steepling his fingers he leaned down towards Hux, “I do not believe a punishment is necessary. You successfully retrieved Kylo Ren. He is an important asset to me.”

 Hux blinked, composure faltering for just a moment. “I see. Thank you Supreme Leader.” Relief flooded through him. “I swear, The Order will triumph. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that.”

 “I am glad to hear that. I presume you yourself are in good health, physically, mentally and reproductively?”

 “Y- yes Supreme Leader.” Hux hoped his confusion didn’t show on his face, all prior experience had given him the impression that he was nothing more than a tool to Snoke. He wondered if Starkiller had affected the Supreme Leader more than his calm demeanor had suggested.

 “I am glad to hear it. And you remain without mating prospects, am I correct?”

 Eyes widening, Hux stammered out what he hoped was the answer Snoke was looking for, “My -uh mating prospects have no bearing on my work for the Order.” 

 “Very well, I shall contact you in due course. Until then, General.”

 Hux bowed his head and ran a hand across his face as the hologram flickered into nothingness. Mating prospects? He shook his head to himself, as if there was any chance of that. He had no idea why Snoke would even be interested in such a thing, unless he was trying to figure out the reasons behind Hux’s failure. Well if that were the case he wouldn’t find it in Hux’s personal life, what little there was. He marched down the corridor, detouring past the training suites to cast an eye over the progress of his co-commander.

 *****

 Kylo Ren could feel the hair rising on the back of his neck as he turned and twisted, trying to force the torn muscles of his shoulder into their former lithe movements and grunting at the spike of pain that lanced through him. His practice saber hit the ground with a clatter, just as the bright flash of Hux’s hair flickered in the corner of his eye. Great, that was all he needed, Hux checking up on him. Probably revelling in his failure. 

 Kylo swore Hux had been watching him more often, most likely watching for another sign of weakness. He scowled as the door slid open, fists clenching at his sides. 

 “What do you want?” he growled, eyes narrowing as Hux wandered towards him with a faintly bemused look on his face.

 “I just met with the Supreme Leader,” Hux said. “He seemed concerned about my health, I just wanted to check if he’d asked you the same.”

 Kylo blinked, “Yes.” His mind flickered back to the odd incident a few days ago when Snoke had asked if the blaster injury to his stomach had affected his ability to conceive, he wasn’t about to tell Hux that though. “He was checking that my injuries would not affect my um... abilities.”

 Hux simply nodded distractedly, “Very well, that’s all I needed.” He marched back out, still shaking his head slightly and leaving Kylo wondering what exactly Snoke had planned next. He was due to complete his training soon and couldn’t quite figure out exactly what that would entail.

 The spate of odd behaviours only seemed to increase and it seemed that not even Phasma was unaffected, Kylo noticed. She seemed to be keeping a close eye on both himself and Hux, her eyes tracking them across the mess hall, watching them on the bridge, an odd little half smirk on her face whenever she went helmetless. 

 Kylo could feel his suspicions growing. Surely he wasn’t the only one who had noticed? Despite his dislike for the man he resolved himself to ask Hux if he had noticed.

 Or at least that had been the plan.

 *****

 “Quarantine?”

 Hux’s voice was flat, echoing within the transparisteel box. Anger ran beneath his skin in hot little sheets, prickling the hairs on his neck. “Phasma, this is ridiculous. There is no disease on this ship.” He cast a glare to the room’s other occupant, “At least not from me there isn’t.”

 Phasma simply shrugged, the harsh impersonal light of the medbay glinting off her polished shoulders. “Supreme Leader’s orders. You have a problem, take it up with him.”

 “I fully intend to, as soon as you let. Us. Out.” 

 “I’m sorry but standard protocol states that you have to be confined for at least twenty-four hours,” Phasma said, amusement evident despite the vocoding, “Have a nice evening.”

 Turning on her heel, Phasma left without a backwards glance, leaving Hux to simmer in the confined chamber. He let out a growl of frustration and slumped into the wholly uncomfortable single chair.

 “Well?” Hux said, glaring at Kylo Ren, all but lounging on the hard little cot in the corner. “Don’t you have anything to say about this?”

 Ren’s shoulders lowered in something resembling a sigh before his hands rose to remove his helmet and Hux was faced with the unfamiliar scar. Ren looked him in the eyes and Hux felt his breath catch in a flash of sudden memory; Starkiller, and the last time their gazes had locked. Kylo had been maddened with pain and rage, snarling to the sky while the planet wrenched itself apart beneath him. Hux’s stomach lurched at the wave of nausea the memory brought and flicked his eyes back to his feet.

 “There’s nothing to say.” Ren’s voice was low, “If the Supreme Leader has ordered it then there must be a reason.” He crossed his arms, “Maybe it’s part of my training. I have to resist killing you,” Hux glanced upwards to see a twisted smile, “or maybe I’m supposed to kill you? Who knows?”

 “Yes well, let’s hold off on that option for now, shall we?” Hux folded his arms, mirroring Ren’s pose. 

 “So, what? Just wait it out?” Kylo rose to his feet and stretched. “Are you sure that won’t kill you? It’s practically a break after all.”

 “All this talk of killing me Ren,” Hux’s fists clenched in his lap as he struggled to keep his tone even, “and yet if it weren’t for me, you would have been left to die in the snow. I would think you’d be a little more grateful.” A stir of triumph went through him as he saw Kylo’s jaw clench.

 “Yes General, I should be grateful for you dragging me away from the corpse of your life’s work. Tell me, how did it feel watching it go supernova?” Kylo turned to find Hux’s eyes burning into him and a thrill ran up his spine. If they were going to be stuck here together then he might as well enjoy himself. “At least Snoke deemed _me_ worth saving.”

 Hux rose to his feet, cheeks flushing with barely controlled anger. “Now you listen righ-!” He stopped, frozen, held in place by an unseen hand.

 “What was that, Hux?” Kylo’s fingers twitched, and he tilted his head at the hatred in Hux’s eyes, the only part of him moving save the rise and fall of his chest. “I could keep you like this for the entire time you know.” He lowered his hand and felt the wave of loathing that flowed in his direction as Hux regained control of his limbs. 

 “You don’t intimidate me Ren,” Hux hissed, straightening his uniform. “If it weren’t for your abilities, you’d be no one.” His eyes were cold steel as he held Kylo’s gaze, lips pressed in a thin line.

 Kylo inhaled through his nose, ready for his next retort when his cheek exploded in a bloom of pain and he found himself landing against the transparisteel wall. Hux smirked down at him, smoothing a hand across his gloved fist. He’d managed to strike the not completely healed scar almost exactly, making pain lance through the still tender muscles.

 “There, I think we’re even,” Hux said, and returned to his chair, folding himself into it as if he were simply attending a meeting.

 Kylo straightened, stunned, brushing a thumb across what was sure to be a bruise. He couldn’t help but feel impressed. The force behind Hux’s punch had been far greater than he would have expected from someone whose entire uniform was designed to make him look bigger. “Alright then.” he shrugged, “Even.” He slumped back onto the thin mattress that honestly couldn’t even be called a bed and cast his eyes towards the ceiling. Perhaps he would try meditating.

 Hux drummed his fingers on his knees, wishing he had his datapad with him, then he could at least get some work done. Ren seemed content simply lying, staring at the ceiling vents, barely moving. Of course, Hux thought, he was probably the type of person who could sleep anywhere, next thing he’d be snoring. He leaned back on his chair, hoping that one of the medical personnel would arrive soon so he could shout at them. Determined to do something useful with his time, Hux closed his eyes, mentally listing the planets in the sector and their resources. They were due to undertake supply negotiations soon and Hux would have much rather been dealing with that than trapped in a confined space with Ren.

 There was a small noise and Hux blinked as holoprojectors whirred to life casting images throughout the little room. It was a snow scene, whirls and flurries of flakes that could have come straight from Starkiller herself. Hux swallowed, clearly someone was mocking him and to his irritation, Ren hadn’t reacted at all. He watched the snow dispassionately, lip curled. 

 “I don’t imagine this is standard quarantine procedure,” Hux said with a scoff.

 “At least it’s just holograms.” Kylo could have sworn he’d seen the exact scene before. It tugged at his memory, the impression of warmth, soft at the edges, before Kylo Ren. 

 Kylo shifted, uncomfortable at the flood of warmth the snowstorm had brought him and the memories that made his head swirl. Thankfully it was cut short by a jolt of cold dropping gently on his cheek. He blinked and cast his eyes to the ceiling vents. “It’s snowing.”

 “Yes I had noticed, thank you.” Hux scraped his chair across the floor, clambering up to examine a vent and getting a face full of snow. He spluttered, glaring at Ren, daring him to react. “Why though?”

 The snow was already starting to pile on the floor, chilling the air and making their breath puff in little clouds. Hux wiped the glistening flakes from his hair and turned to Kylo, “Well I’m not staying in here with this nonsense. You have my permission to destroy the doors.”

 “As much as I appreciate that General, I don’t have my saber.” Kylo said, arms crossed to suppress the shiver that went through him. He breathed deep, reaching for the tendrils of the Force surrounding his body and wrapping them around him. Clenching his fists he visualised the doors shattering, the room falling apart around them. He let out a groan, feeling the resistance of the physical forms and wrenched inwards.

 With a pop and a shower of sparks, the holoprojectors on the walls exploded making Hux jolt and the images crackle into nothing, now the only snow was the flakes resolutely falling from the vents. Kylo quirked his lip in a half smirk and shoved at the door. It remained closed.

 A quiet hiss made Kylo glance upwards to see the door sensor shattered and the exposed wires sparking. A sense of total uselessness washed through him. Well he wasn’t going to let Hux see that. He turned, readying himself for whatever barb was about to be thrown his way. Instead he found Hux nodding at him looking almost pleased.

 “Well that stopped part of the problem at least. Now we just need to get out.”

 Kylo blinked, “Uh, yes, but the door is… stuck. Do you have a plan?”

 To his astonishment Hux chose to answer by unbuttoning the tunic of his uniform and dropping it to the floor, leaving him in just his under vest. He smoothed his hair back, dragging the chair towards one of the showers of snow. Hopping onto it, Hux reached for one of the vents, gloved fingers only just grazing the edges.

 “Well bugger, I might need to shift the cot.” Hux said. Goosepimples prickled down his bare arms, although the synthesised snow had none of the chill of the rain on Arkanis. “Ren, give me a hand to move i-” His instruction was cut off as he felt strong arms wrap around his legs, Ren’s face nudging against his thigh.

 “This is faster.”

 “Yes. I suppose so.” Hux pushed down the surprise the sudden touch had brought and focused on working the grille away from the mouth of the vent before letting it fall with a clatter. He hauled himself into the snow filled tunnel and turned to peer down at Ren, “I’ll just drop down on the other side and then open the door for you.”

 “Sensor’s broken,” Ren said, already shoving the chair out of the way and dragging the cot over, the metal screeching against the floor. “This is the only way out.”

 “Ugh, fine then.” Hux reached a hand down, offering it to Ren and scowling at the incredulous look on his face. “What?”

 Kylo ran his eyes up and down Hux’s pale, skinny arm, “You really think you can lift me?”

 “The bruise on your cheek should be proof enough of my strength Ren, now do you want out of here or not?”

 Kylo just shrugged, he scrambled onto the cot and grasped Hux’s hand, his other hand braced on the rim of the vent. “Okay.” He felt Hux start to tug him upwards and hauled himself up and into the snow dusted darkness of the vent.

 Hux’s breath puffed out in a warm cloud that ghosted across Kylo’s cheeks, “Well then, let’s get going. I’d like to think I know my ship well enough to lead us out.” He turned onto his knees, crawling away from the flurries of snow and into the black hole of the ventilation system.

 Kylo followed, the gentle clink of Hux’s progress his only lead. He could just about hear Hux muttering to himself, “-then the third left above the maintenance corridor, yes-”. The air was warming the further they got from quarantine and Kylo regretted not shedding a layer of his clothes as Hux had. He was starting to sweat; the moisture beading on his palms was already soaking into his gloves. The metal of the vent was pressing into his shoulders and scuffing at his knees but Kylo reasoned that this was still better than getting snowed in, he trusted Hux to lead the way. If nothing else, the man had an almost droid-like knowledge of the _Finalizer’s_ layout.

 Up ahead Hux could see a faint glow that told him they were almost out. If his calculations were correct, which of course they were, then they would be able to drop down into one of the maintenance decks. Then he was going to find Phasma.

 Kylo couldn’t see anything in front of his nose, not that he minded too much. He was used to the dark; it helped to enhance his other senses, or at least he thought it did until Hux stopped without warning. Kylo reached ahead blindly and felt his hand come to rest on something curved and slightly warm. It was both soft and firm and Kylo gave a small squeeze before his brain caught up with the rest of him. Hux’s voice was muffled and strained, echoing slightly in the small space, “That’s my arse Ren, can you maybe not?”

 Hux refused to let himself focus too much on the unwarranted touch, concentrating on loosening the vent cover. They would be out soon and this unfortunate experience would be over and done with.

 “Hah! There we go.” Hux dropped down and glanced around, Esk deck maintenance, exactly where he’d been aiming for. There was a small thunk as Kylo landed beside him and Hux turned to him with a look of triumph. 

 Kylo’s lips twitched for a second before Hux’s face broke into a smile and Kylo followed. “Good job Hux.”

 “You too Ren.” Hux circled his bare shoulders and Kylo found himself tracing his eyes across the delicate collarbones just visible under the black vest before Hux snapped into his usual demeanor with a click of his heels. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with Phasma.”

 “Of course,” said Kylo. “I think I may request a meeting with Snoke. She did say it was his orders after all.”

 Hux nodded, gaze lingering on the rapidly purpling bruise on Ren’s cheek. Part of him couldn’t believe he’d punched the man, the rest of him was just disappointed he hadn’t done it sooner.

 *****

 Much to his confusion, Snoke simply dismissed Kylo’s enquiries as ‘miscommunication’ and moved on to increasingly obtuse questions about his health. Not wanting to question the Supreme Leader, Kylo simply answered to the best of his knowledge, stopping only when Snoke started asking what he found desirable in a mate.

 “I assure you Supreme Leader, you do not need to find me someone.” Kylo protested. The last thing he wanted to think about was Snoke and mating in the same sentence.

 “No, you are right.” Snoke simply pressed his fingers together and peered at Kylo. “I do not need to search for a mate for you. Let us move on to other matters. I am sending you and General Hux to Kaddak for supply negotiations.”

 Kylo bowed, glad for the opportunity to be planetside. His anger with Phasma still hadn’t dissipated and evidently neither had Hux’s. Aggressive negotiations would be the perfect opportunity to let go of some of the tensions he’d been feeling ever since quarantine.

 Of course that was easier said than done. The smuggler faction they were dealing with were either extremely brave or extremely stupid and had barely reacted to Hux’s thinly veiled threats as Kylo stood beside him, one hand on the hilt of his saber. It was under a cloud of frustration that they arrived at their lodging for the night. 

 “Yes, here we are Sirs, your room key.” the receptionist smiled at Hux, his plastered on smile faltering at the stony expression.

 “Excuse me?” A nerve in Hux’s eyebrow twitched, “Surely you mean _rooms_ , plural.”

 “I’m sorry, we only have a record for one room, and we’re completely booked.” The fear in the receptionist’s eyes put Kylo in mind of Lieutenant Mitaka, “I’m so sorry, there must have been some problem with our system.”

 Hux leaned against the counter, fingers pressed to the bridge of his nose. “Could you at least direct us to another place of accommodation?”

 With a high pitched squeak, the receptionist looked firmly at the counter, not daring to meet Hux’s eyes. “The nearest place is two hours away.” He winced and Kylo almost snorted with laughter, they were here to make a deal. Hux wasn’t about to go starting fights.

 Snatching the single key, Hux stormed towards the elevator, hearing the heavy footfalls of Ren behind him. The last thing he wanted was to spend more time stuck with him. The last time he’d ended up punching Ren, and at that point they’d only been stuck together for a few minutes. 

 He supposed he could go out, pick up a man and go home with him instead, but he was just too tired.

 Without looking at Ren, Hux shouldered through the door and slumped on the bed. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered to himself, surprised when he heard Ren answer.

 “Yeah it is. It’s like something out of a holo.” Kylo was already removing the first of his many layers. “Actually I’m almost certain this exact thing happened in ‘ _Love in Alderaan Places_ ’. You ever see that one?”

 “I can’t say I have,” Hux said rolling over, eyes widening at the sight of Kylo stripping off his robes. His torso was muscled, crisscrossed with scars and the gnarled twisted mark of a deep blaster wound. “Oh, you’re actually- we’re going to share the bed?”

 “Well I’m not sleeping on the floor.”

 Hux turned away again and methodically began undressing. He felt the bed dip as Ren slid under the covers and braced himself for an awkward night. 

 They lay as far apart as possible, flat on their backs, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The small town outside was mostly quiet, the occasional speeder passing through to disrupt the still night. Hux drummed his fingers against his arm, unable to relax with the looming shadow of Ren so close to him. “This is ridiculous.” he muttered again, “Supreme Leader ensured me all the arrangements were taken care of.” 

 The mattress shifted as Ren turned to him. “I don’t like this any more than you but at least I’m _trying_ to get some sleep.” 

 Hux snorted, “I’ll bet you snore, you look like you snore.” He gasped and curled in on himself as the covers were pulled away, Ren glowering down at him in the gloom.

 “And you’re so skinny I’ll bet you steal all the blankets.”

 Hux rolled to face him, rage winning out over discomfort as they were both wearing only their underwear. “Well go sleep on the floor then.”

 “I’m not moving, you sleep on the floor.” Kylo could just make out Hux’s eyes, shining in the dark like cold steel.

 “No.” Hux grabbed for the cover, hauling it out of Kylo’s hand and sliding back down onto the mattress.

 “Fine.” Kylo gripped his pillow and turned away. Heat coursed through him in a pulse that matched his heartbeat. His fingers clenched in the soft cotton of the sheets, only tightening as Hux’s voice floated out of the darkness once more.

 “Fine.”

 Kylo tensed and breathed deep. He could feel the Force tingling on his skin, so easily pulled into his grasp. He could quite easily _make_ Hux sleep on the floor but a small part of him protested. Despite the problems he had with the General, he couldn’t deny that he worked hard. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to that and if they were to make any headway in negotiations tomorrow then Hux would probably need the rest. Kylo sighed and tried to relax, acutely aware of the sound of Hux’s breathing behind him.

 Tension pressed down on Hux making his temples throb. The silence stretched between them as thin and delicate as spider silk and Hux just had to say something.

 “Your um- bowcaster wound seems to have healed extremely well.” Hux cleared his throat, turning slightly to see if Ren would answer. 

 He responded by turning over to lean on one elbow, looking down at Hux with an odd expression on his face. “Do you care?”

 Hux could feel heat rising to his cheeks, an electric thrill that made his nerves tingle. The air was charged now, heavy with potential as his eyes met Ren’s. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips as he whispered, “No.”

 “Liar.”

 And then their lips were together, wet and sliding and completely without finesse. Hux felt himself hauled against Ren’s chest and groaned, threading his hands into thick hair. His mind was lost in a haze of warmth and hard kisses, Kylo’s tongue brushing against his own and making him groan out and grip tighter. 

 Kylo’s hands traced Hux’s sides, sliding down to give a brief squeeze of his ass, the tug of Hux’s fingers in his hair making him whine and buck his hips. They pulled apart, breathless, chests rising and falling together. Hux’s eyes were glassy, his pupils wide and Kylo couldn’t help but dive in to kiss him once more.

 The night passed in kisses and soft touches, breathless moans and gentle caresses until finally tiredness won out. Hux found himself curled at Kylo’s side, one arm slung across his stomach, nestled into the crook of his shoulder. His mind was calm, his lips kiss swollen and tingling and Hux felt Kylo squeeze lightly at his shoulder before sleep claimed them both.

 Kylo jolted awake the next morning with his nose buried in Hux’s neck, the pale light of dawn making the ruffles of his hair glow like embers. He froze, watching the steady rise and fall of Hux’s chest. A flutter of nerves washed through his stomach and Kylo was torn between pressing closer or dashing away. He pulled his hand from the soft gentle curve of Hux’s stomach, biting his lip as he dragged it across the jut of one hip and felt Hux tense.

 He was awake.

 Scooting back, Kylo waited for Hux to turn over and face him, not entirely sure what to say. What could he say? ‘Hey I know we kinda hate each other but making out all night was really nice’? No. He’d wait for Hux to say something.

 Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Hux was stalling. This was bad, a mistake, he’d been tired, he didn’t even like Kylo, even if kissing him had been wonderful. He met Kylo’s eyes. 

 “So…?”

 “Um-”

 “We- ah,” Hux brushed his hair from his face deciding avoidance was the best tactic, “we’ve got a busy day ahead. Hopefully negotiations should go a little better.”

 “Yes definitely,” Kylo nodded, peering around for the first of his layers, “and uh- Hux?”

 “Hmm?”

 “Last night didn’t happen, okay?” Kylo bit his lip. It was better to rebuild the boundaries now.

 “Of course.” Hux said with a curt nod, not feeling quite as relieved as he’d expected. “Let’s just forget about it.” He caught Kylo’s eye and turned away. He had to compose himself, they had orders. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint the Supreme Leader.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite the uncertainty of the morning, the rest of negotiations went without a hitch and it was soon time to return to the Finalizer. Hard as he might try, Kylo couldn’t get what had happened out of his head. Every time he looked at Hux he could still hear the breathy little groans, he could still feel the slim body wrapped around his own. Every time Hux looked at him Kylo could still taste his lips.

But they had agreed to forget about it.

Hux was trying his hardest to avoid Ren. He couldn’t seem to muster up the same level of acerbic antagonism, no matter how much he wished he could. He was sure someone must have noticed the change in their behaviour and was determined to keep things as normal as possible. After their debriefing from Snoke, who had been alarmingly eager to hear about their negotiations, they had gone their separate ways and Hux had hoped that would be that.

Instead he found himself hounded by Phasma, who seemed determined to worm her way back out of his good books by insisting he was behaving strangely.

Which he admittedly was. 

Stressing repeatedly that everything was fine, Hux could practically feel Phasma’s skepticism as she glared at him over caf in the officer’s lounge. It was true, he told himself, everything was fine, the sooner he forgot Kaddak the better, he was sure Ren felt the same way.

In his quarters, Kylo was meditating, trying to use the Force to drive his memories from his head, not that it had ever worked before. Breathing deep, he focused his power, pulling it close about his body. His hair rippled, gently blown by an invisible wind that swirled around him in a protective cocoon. As long as he stayed in here, the rest of the ship didn’t matter. 

Of course that was the moment that there was a knock at his door. 

Kylo sighed, sliding the door open with a wave of his hand and snapping at the droid who stood on the other side. “What?”

 "A delivery for you sir.” The droid held out a small package that Kylo snatched away, sliding the door closed again without another word, already knowing that on the other side the droid was shaking their head and saying the word, ‘Rude!’. He eyed the parcel carefully, it fit in the palm of his hand and was delicately wrapped in dark green tissue. Unwrapping it, a note fluttered to the ground that Kylo caught in mid air, squinting at the small typeface. 

  _This is for you._

_ General A. Hux _

 Kylo pushed down the jolt his stomach gave at Hux’s name and returned to unwrapping the gift. He couldn’t imagine what Hux would get him, or why he’d give him anything at all for that matter. Unless, and Kylo was careful not to think about this too carefully, it could be that Hux had changed his mind about the Kaddak incident and wanted to say so with a gift. Well, Kylo wouldn’t keep him hanging if that was the case. He smiled to himself and pulled at the last layer of paper.

 Staring at the small plate in his hand, Kylo felt his eyes go wide. It was triangular metal, delicately wrought and thrumming with energy. Kylo could feel the power that pulsed from the artefact and wondered why he hadn’t sensed it before. His mind raced, where could Hux have possibly acquired a piece of Sith holocron? He must care more for Kylo than he’d thought. Smiling softly Kylo placed the holocron by his grandfather’s mask and headed for the bridge.

 At his command console Hux was gritting his teeth and glaring, his fingers twitched and the urge to strip off his glove and reach for his blaster was almost overwhelming. Around him he could see the assembled officers in varying states of distress, choking on suppressed laughter, save a few who seemed more terrified. Good, they would be free from disciplinary action. Phasma however was bent double, openly laughing in his face. Beside him stood a delivery droid, blankly staring, an open parcel in their hands displaying a box containing ‘ _Sensual Starberry Edible Panties_ ’.

 Hux pursed his lips and stood straight in an attempt to get the bridge back under control, only to see Ren striding towards him. As if things couldn’t get worse.

 “General, I wished to speak to y- what are those?” Kylo had never been more grateful for his mask as he spotted the frilly pink box the droid was holding. He knew his mouth had fallen open and the blood was starting to rise on his cheeks. His eyes swept across the room taking in red faces and Phasma looking almost shocked. A glance at Hux told him that the man was furious, barely containing it behind his stiff upper lip.

 “It seems that the General has an admirer,” piped up Lieutenant Mitaka, his own cheeks crimson.

 “Who?” Kylo blurted the question out before he could stop himself, glad that the vocoder hid the accusatory tone in his voice. Hux simply shrugged.

 “As I have _repeatedly_ informed the Supreme Leader, I have no romantic prospects, and anyone who thinks that _this_ -” he sneered at the box in the droid’s hands, “-is an appropriate way to get my attention is simply not worth my time.”

 Kylo saw Mitaka flinch in the corner of his eye and felt fire start to burn in his chest. It _must_ have been him; always trying so hard to get Hux’s approval, and now humiliating him on his own bridge. That was Kylo’s job, he was the only one allowed to rile Hux up, maybe Phasma sometimes, but no one else. 

 Without thinking, Kylo snatched the box from the droid with a wave of his hand. A single flash of red from his saber and the box lay charred on the walkway, he turned on his heel, marching away, all thoughts of speaking to Hux burned away by the anger that surged through him. If Kylo were to get Hux a gift then it would be something nice, something he wanted, not something to eat off his- Kylo pursed his lips willing the image from his mind. No. He wasn’t going to think about it.

 Hux’s eyes followed Kylo as he strode from the bridge, an odd ripple of appreciation running through him. He took one more look around and clapped his hands together, “Right, now that is dealt with, I suggest you get back to work.” He raised an eyebrow at Phasma who was looking in turn from him to the door that Kylo had disappeared through, a little half smile on her face. She gave him a salute and slipped her helmet back on, heading out as well. Hux ran a hand across his face and sighed in exasperation. He turned to Mitaka with a wave towards the charred remains, “Honestly, I don’t know what is going on on this ship but it’s getting worse.”

 Hux had thought that after Kaddak, things would be quieter, or at least he hoped so. The less he had to deal with Ren, the better. Unfortunately though, his temper seemed even more volatile than usual. He strode around the bridge, terrorising whoever was unfortunate enough to cross his path, usually Lieutenant Mitaka. As much as he tried to keep his temper, Hux had snapped, demanding Ren leave the bridge and the command crew alone. Ren turned then, storming towards a conference room and beckoning Hux to follow, which he did with a sigh of exasperation.

 Kylo leaned against a table, arms folded, meeting Hux’s glare with stony silence. Hux’s face reddened, his fists clenching. “What!?” he finally snapped.

 Kylo narrowed his focus, needling it into the chink of annoyance, threading Hux’s emotions into his own consciousness, searching him.

 “You’re fucking Mitaka, aren’t you?”

 “What? No!” Kylo could feel the truth in Hux’s words, intertwined with the ever present irritation that marked the majority of their interactions. “I’m not fucking anyone! Why is the entire Order so interested in my love life?” Hux rubbed at his temples. “I will tell you once and once only; my private life is just that. _Private_. It has _nothing_ whatsoever to do with you. Now if you have no business on the bridge, then leave.” His fingers twitched but still he held Kylo’s gaze, even through the mask. Steely resolve radiated through him, pushing his mind from Kylo’s grip as he turned away.

 A flood of anger rushed through Kylo, making him shake. He felt energised, both powerful and insignificant in the same breath. He needed to let it out somehow and reached for his comm. His Knights were in the sector, he needed a proper fight.

 *****

 Hux was in the shuttle bay when the unannounced arrival docked, stormtroopers at his sides. He tensed as the door slid open to reveal a masked figure, heavily cloaked and robed in black. They slipped their hood down and inclined their head in a bow towards Hux.

 “Greetings General, forgive my unscheduled visit. My master called me, it seemed most urgent. I am Xiiro Ren.” The vocoded voice was feminine, smooth as silk even beneath the mechanical interference.

 Hux nodded, “Indeed, then I am sorry your master is not here to meet you.” Tension crawled up his spine like clammy fingers, a deep sense of foreboding pressing in on him. He didn’t want to let this person out of his sight, let alone leave them with Kylo unattended. “Permit me to escort you to our guest rooms.” he said with a thin lipped smile.

 “Your hospitality is most welcome.” The Knight gestured for Hux to lead the way and followed a few steps behind, making Hux nervous. He wasn’t going to show it though.

 “Will you be staying with us long?” Hux asked with a glance behind him, the Knight had shed the first of their cloaks and draped it over their arm, giving Hux a glimpse of deep purple skin where their sleeve rode up.

 “As long as my Master has need of me.”

 “Of course.” Hux walked in silence until they reached the guest quarters. “I’m afraid you may need to remove your mask, the guest rooms use retinal recognition and it will need an initial scan.” He swallowed, mind flashing back unbidden to the first time he’d seen Kylo without the mask, he had looked so young and all Hux could think about was his disgust at being forced to work with someone so clearly beneath him.

 Blinking away the past, Hux heard the familiar click and hiss and found himself faced with a smiling Twi’lek. She nodded towards him and tossed her head, one damaged lekku twitching as she did. “Thank you again General, I will be most comfortable here. Are my master’s quarters nearby?”

 “They uh-” Hux swallowed, hating the way her lips curved around the word ‘master’, “they are on the other side of this deck.” One hallway away from his own, he thought. “Shall I comm him to say you’ve arrived?” 

 “It is quite alright, he will call for me soon.” Xiiro Ren said, loosening the next layer of her robes as the room’s door slid open. “Have a pleasant day, General.”

 Hux clenched his fist and marched towards the bridge. His stomach churned, little spikes of nausea cresting and falling with every step. He considered stopping by the medbay for the briefest of instants and shook his head. It was nothing.

 Hux’s mood continued to spiral downwards as the days passed. Too often he would see Kylo walking side by side with Xiiro Ren and feel his stomach twist with something he wouldn’t dignify with a label. He pushed it away and prepared to meet with Snoke. The Supreme Leader had been distant of late and Hux could feel his nerves starting to stir again. 

 The creeping dread in his gut only grew stronger when Hux reached the meeting chamber and realised he was alone. He inhaled, standing tall as the form of Snoke coalesced in the empty space in front of him. The figure leaned towards Hux, “Ah General, I feel I should inform you that this meeting will just be between you and I. Kylo Ren is currently engaged in-” Snoke paused, tilting his head as he seemed to search for the right words, “-physical activities, with Xiiro Ren.”

 Hux clenched his teeth, working the muscle in his jaw, “I see.”

 “Yes, he seems most pleased to have her around.” Snoke peered over his fingers at Hux. “But that is not why I called you here. I simply wished to inform you that the Finalizer will be required to detour to Feruus. We have gained control of a kyber mine there and will need to deploy more storm troopers to guard our interests.”

 “Yes Supreme Leader,” Hux nodded. “ I will make all the necessary preparations. Will that be all?”

 “For now. I will contact you soon.” Snoke flickered away, leaving Hux to his thoughts. 

 He paced the corridors, knowing it was a waste of his time and energy, he couldn’t help it though. He circled the habitation deck, wandering from corridor to corridor, lost in a black fog of confusion. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, or waiting for, just that he needed to be up. He needed to keep walking. Sleep could wait.

 *****

 A few days later Kylo was on the bridge. The hours of sparring with Xiiro Ren had done wonders for his mood. He was in better shape physically and mentally than he had been for a long while.

 The same however, could not be said for Hux. His pale skin had faded to near translucence, the dark circles under his eyes hollowing his face, making the sharp cheekbones seem almost skeletal. Still he stood in position on the bridge, tired eyes roaming over every datapad. He was wavering though, and everyone on the bridge could see it. Mitaka had already suggested that Hux take the day off and get some rest, only to be met with a bleary eyed glare and a mutter of, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

 Kylo could feel it before it happened, the flicker of Hux’s mind in his subconscious growing dimmer. Snoke had asked him to monitor Hux and it was with a flare of sudden panic that he turned, watching as the General fell in a graceful arc, knocking Mitaka from his workstation and down the stairs before collapsing to the ground in a heap. 

 In an instant officers swarmed the bridge and Kylo waded through them. He scooped Hux up in his arms, barking orders to the command crew. “You! Call the medbay, have them send someone to Hux’s quarters. Phasma, you have the bridge, everyone else return to your posts. Except you, Unamo, do something about Mitaka, he’s bleeding all over the floor.”

 Kylo shifted Hux in his arms, marvelling at how light he was. Of course he’d lifted him once before, but not like this. Golden lashes fluttered on Hux’s cheek and Kylo fought to resist the urge to take off his glove and touch that pale skin, maybe even run a finger down Hux’s face. Mentally he shook himself. He was going to get Hux to his quarters, any other thoughts could come later.

 Hux stirred slightly in his arms, blinking his eyes open blearily. “Wha-?”

 “It’s alright, you just passed out. I’m taking you to your quarters.” Kylo smirked to himself beneath his mask, “I knew you were a workaholic but even _you_ need sleep sometimes.”

 Hux’s senses were muddied, his thoughts far slower than usual but still he retorted, “Well one of us has to command the ship. We can’t all be playing around with Twi’leks when we’re supposed to be on duty.” He shoved feebly at Kylo’s chest, “And put me down, I am perfectly capable of walking.”

 “You just fell down a flight of stairs and took out Mitaka on the way.” Kylo smiled at the thought, a delicious sense of satisfaction curling in his chest. He pulled Hux closer to him, fingers squeezing tight on his thigh, “I’m not taking any chances.”

 Hux’s only response was to grumble and fold his arms across his chest. “Fine then.” 

 Despite his indignation Hux found himself warming. Kylo’s chest was solid and he carried Hux as if he weighed nothing. He felt small but not weak, light, almost protected; something he couldn’t quite remember ever feeling before. Hux’s eyes slipped closed against his will as he breathed deep, inhaling the smoky scent of Kylo’s robes. His limbs sagged, body relaxing, lulled by the steady pace.

 Kylo swallowed, feeling more than seeing Hux drift back to sleep. He wished he could look, but the range of vision on his mask simply wouldn’t allow it. His stomach jolted when Hux nuzzled closer, mumbling unintelligibly, his nose pressing into Kylo’s chest and sending butterflies through every inch of his body. Hux’s words echoed in his head and he furrowed his brow in confusion, ‘ _playing around with Twi’leks_ ’?

 Oh.

 Surely not.

 Hux wasn’t jealous of Xiiro Ren.

 Was he?

 Overriding the door, Kylo let himself into Hux’s quarters. They were dimly lit at this time of day and Kylo jumped back, startled as a shadow detached itself from the chair and bounced in his direction. Lamplike eyes glared up at him and Kylo had the sneaking suspicion that Hux’s cat was judging him.

 “Um… Hello Millicent,” he said, stepping carefully around her and heading towards what he assumed to be Hux’s bedroom. She twitched her whiskers, sniffing at him before dashing ahead, jumping onto the bed and purring like a stuck compressor. Kylo gently laid Hux atop the duvet and unlatched his helmet, setting it aside. He peered down, breath catching at just how serene Hux seemed, all the usual tension was gone from his jaw, leaving his lips softly parted, his chest gently rising and falling with each breath. Kylo paused for a moment, unsure if he should wait for the med team or not. He rested one hand on the very tip of Hux’s boot, he should at least take them off. Hux definitely seemed like the type who hated shoes on the furniture.

 Not wanting to overstep his bounds, Kylo nudged Hux’s shoulder, “Hey, I’m gonna take your boots off, is that okay?” Hux simply let out a little snuffling snore and stuck one leg out at an angle, sleepily nodding.

 “I’m guessing that’s a yes then.” Kylo worked the heavy boots off, fingers brushing the delicate arch of Hux’s instep and making him twitch. He could feel a smile curving up his face and a slow warmth lazily spreading through him, heating him from head to toe.

 A knock at the door made him drop Hux’s leg, jolting him awake with a confused little snort. Kylo turned away, heading for the door to let the medical officer in, hoping Hux hadn’t noticed the blush spreading across his cheeks.

 *****

 “Exhaustion. And a minor cold. You’ll survive, General.” The Chief Medical Officer smiled and clapped her hands together. “But you need to rest,” she held up a finger, “and no arguing with me.” She glanced at Kylo, “Commander, can I trust that you will keep him from wearing himself out?”

 “I- um, yes?” Kylo’s brows creased in confusion as the doctor patted him on the shoulder, unsure why exactly it fell to him. A glance in Hux’s direction showed he was just as confused. Kylo wasn’t going to argue though. “I’ll keep an eye on things.”

 “Good lad. Now General I’m recommending at least five days rest, but I know you won’t do that so shall we agree to three?” The doctor’s dark eyes peered at Hux, unwavering, reminding him forcibly of his mentor. She’d had the same no nonsense attitude.

 “I suppose I can manage that,” Hux said, folding his arms across his chest.

 “Excellent. Now I need to be off. Just try to relax General, catch up on your sleep.” With a wave over one shoulder, she was gone.

 “So… uh… want me to go get you some food?” Kylo asked.

 “You don’t have to do this Ren, I can take care of myself.”

 “But the doctor said-”

 “The doctor said to keep an eye on me because you’re the closest thing to an emergency contact I have. I don’t have family, I don’t have a significant other,” Hux’s fingers twisted in his sheets, little spots of colour rising on pale cheekbones, “all I have is a co-commander. So please, just let me rest.”

 Kylo leaned forward, taking Hux’s hand in his own. His tongue was suddenly too big for his mouth and his words fell out without thinking. “Go out with me. I mean, not _out_ out, we’re on a Star Destroyer, but a date. Go on a date. With me. Please.”

 Hux’s eyebrow raised in a delicate arch as he blinked at their joined hands. Kylo could practically see the wheels turning in his head before his lip curled up in a sneer. “I see what’s happening. Your little purple _playmate_ is gone so you’re on to your next conquest, aren’t you?”

 “Playm- no! Hux, this isn’t like that.” Kylo ran a hand through his hair, flustered. “It was training, nothing to be jealous about.” He spread his hands wide, wondering what exactly he could say to placate Hux. “I haven’t even kissed anyone but you in the last-” He pursed his lips, realising just how long it had been since he kissed anyone. Ben Solo may even have been alive then, “-in a very long time.” he finished lamely.

 Hux sat back against the headboard of the bed, arms crossed, something resembling a pout on his lips. “I thought those kisses didn’t happen. You made it very clear that you wanted to forget it.”

 “I thought I did,” Kylo admitted, staring down at his feet. “But I made a mistake. I keep thinking about you and it’s ridiculous and distracting and not what I wanted at all!” He reached over, placing his hand over Hux’s own, “But I like you, and I think we could really be something… If you give me a chance.”

 Hux glanced down, feelings bubbling up in his chest. Warmth, desire, a tinge of awkwardness. He sighed, turning his hand over and winding his fingers through Kylo’s, trying not to smile too much at the mixed shock and delight on his face. “Why don’t you go get us something to eat and you can join me for dinner.” He looked up to find sparkling eyes and Kylo squeezing at his hand.

 “It’s a date.”

 *****

 To Hux’s surprise and delight, Kylo turned out to be a more than adequate dinner companion. His erudite wit and dry humour was so much nicer when it wasn’t at Hux’s expense, and he had to admit, he could really get used to that smile. It was with a mild sense of disappointment that he walked Kylo to the door of his quarters.

 “So, can I trust on you checking in on me tomorrow?” Hux teased, his fingers brushing against Kylo’s sleeve. Warmth bubbled through him, making him feel more awake and alert than he had been in days. Kylo’s fingers drummed on the helmet in his hands as he smiled at Hux.

 “Well I _was_ asked to keep an eye on you.” he said, hovering at the door control, not quite wanting to leave. His eyes flickered to Hux’s lips and he swallowed, unsure if a kiss would be too forward. Kylo cleared his throat, “I- I should let you get your rest. Goodnight Hux.”

 “Goodnight Kylo.” The door slid open and Kylo turned to slip his mask back on and leave, only to be stopped by a hand at his elbow. “Wait just a second.” Hux leaned forwards, catching his lips in a short kiss and pulling back with a small cough. “I just thought the date should end properly.”

 Kylo nodded, the sensation of Hux’s lips still lingering on his own. “Yeah that was… that was good.” He stroked one finger down Hux’s sleeve. “Tomorrow then?”

 “Tomorrow.” 

 *****

 When Hux returned to active duty a few days later he was met by Phasma, helmetless and looking concerned. “So…” she tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Rumour has it that you’re dating Lieutenant Mitaka.”

 Hux stopped short, turning to meet Phasma’s eyes, “Well that’s utter nonsense. It would be completely against fraternisation regulations.” He folded his arms, dropping his chin to his chest to lower his voice, “Besides, I’m already dating Kylo Ren.”

 Blue eyes widened and Phasma let out a noise that was almost a cheer, pumping her fist before having the decency to cough and look embarrassed. “That’s great. You should tell me about your date next time we have caff. Right now though, I have some messages to send.”

 “Okay,” Hux said, surprised she wasn’t grilling him for every little detail like she usually did. “We can talk later.” He turned to his datapad, noting that the Supreme Leader wanted a check in of the hydroponics labs and making room in his schedule. Maybe it was just the fact that his illness had passed, or maybe it was the cautious optimism that came with the change in his and Kylo’s relationship, but the ship definitely seemed to be getting back to normal.

 That is, until the next meeting with Snoke.

 The previous evening had been spent walking through the botanical labs, something that allowed Hux to combine his orders with holding Kylo’s hand and looking at flowers. Kylo had reassured him that the fact they were dating would make no difference in their working relationship. Snoke didn’t need to know since it had no effect on Kylo’s training, not that he’d care one way or another. Kylo had pulled Hux into the canopy of a broad leafed tree then, sharing their first ‘official’ kiss.

 Still though, Kylo made sure to maintain a respectable distance from Hux as they entered the audience chamber. He glanced at Hux, wondering if he should put his mask back on for their meeting with the Supreme Leader.

 The hologram flickered into life before he could decide, revealing Snoke on his throne. His hands clapped together, the sound a distorted echo and he leaned forward wearing an expression that Kylo had never seen before. Snoke’s mangled face seemed more twisted than usual, his mouth curved up in what could only theoretically be called a smile.

 “I am to understand that you have good news.” Snoke said, leaning forward and looking from Kylo to Hux.

 “Yes Supreme Leader, all our botanical facilities appear to be in good working order and ready for whatever project you have planned.” Hux folded his hands behind his back, trying not to blush at the look of pride that Kylo gave him.

 Snoke waved a hand in Hux’s direction, shaking his head, “No. That project has been cancelled. I am referring to the recent initiation of bondmate status. I wish to congratulate you both.”

 Kylo felt his mouth drop open, limbs suddenly heavy, rooting him to the spot. Heat was spreading up his face, wondering how Snoke could know. He could see Hux in the corner of his eye, running a hand over his hair and glancing in Kylo’s direction, a blush high on his cheeks.

 “Well you see-”

 “Supreme Leader, we-”

 “-didn’t think you needed to know.”

 “-just started dating.”

 “Um-”

 “Ah-”

 Their voices blended into one and Snoke blinked down at them. "You are bonded, are you not?"

 Hux cleared his throat, looking from Snoke to Kylo, "Well... we hadn't really discussed it..."

 Sitting back, Snoke steepled his fingers. “You are bonded.” he pronounced in a voice that said there would be no arguing. “General, I am sure you will be more than capable of providing Kylo Ren with sufficient ejaculatory fluids, as I believe is traditional in your species.”

 Hux let out a high pitched noise before flushing crimson and deciding that his boots were the best thing in the room to look at.

 Kylo meanwhile, silently slipped his helmet on, wondering why he hadn’t added a function that would block all sound. He closed his eyes behind the transparisteel visor in the vain hope that if he couldn’t see Snoke, then the words would be magically erased from his memory. He could hear Hux choking out a vain attempt at words and felt a tiny pang of guilt at effectively abandoning him.

 “I- um… Well,” Hux pinched at the bridge of his nose, trying to formulate a reply and deciding the best course of action was to simply skip past the awkwardness and pretend it had never happened. “Thank you for your blessing Supreme Leader. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”

 “That will be all for now. I do not wish to interrupt the bonding process. Thank you for your time.” Snoke nodded towards them and dissipated in a cloud of static.

 Hux huffed out his breath, following it with an unexpected giggle of nervous laughter. He turned to Kylo with a somewhat manic smile, “At least he approves.”

 “True.” Kylo said. “And maybe now he’ll stop asking me about what I look for in a mate.”

 “You too?!” Hux gave a little snort, “At least I’m not the only one he’s been trying to set up.”

 The distorted sound of Kylo’s laughter echoed through the conference room and he slipped a tentative arm around Hux’s waist, “Do you think he’s been asking Phasma too?”

 “Could be, she’s met with him a few times.” Hux shrugged and pulled Kylo close, pressing a kiss to the hard black duraplast of his mask. “But enough about that. If it’s alright with you then I’d quite like to forget that conversation ever happened. Care to join me for lunch today?”

 “I’d love to.”

 Much to his chagrin, Kylo found Snoke’s words coming to him at the most inopportune moments, generally in the middle of dates. He’d be sitting with Hux, talking or eating or even just working together and the term ‘ejaculatory fluids’ would swim through his mind, making him choke and giggle.

 It also seemed that their hope of Snoke losing interest was completely dashed. Although the intrusive questions had ceased for the moment, both men found themselves on the receiving end of countless gifts. Hux’s quarters had never been more full of bedding, sheets and silken cushions. He’d set one aside for Millicent and set about stowing the rest away. It bulged from his storage closet, threatening to spill out, something Kylo noticed when he slid onto Hux’s couch during their next date.

 “Do you have a pillow fort I don’t know about or something?” Kylo kicked his boots off, he was starting to feel more at ease letting his guard down around Hux.

 “Honestly, I could build about five pillow forts with all the extras I’ve been sent.” Hux folded himself up next to Kylo, handing him the remote for the holoscreen. “I think Snoke believes humans nest or something.”

 “Could be.” Kylo shrugged, flipping through the available holos. “He sent me a bunch of candles and more blankets than I’d need even if I was naked on Starkiller.” Millicent wandered across his knees to settle on Hux’s lap, “You didn’t get the candles too?”

 Hux’s cheeks coloured in a rather pretty shade of pink and Kylo couldn’t help but shuffle closer. He slid his free arm around Hux’s shoulders, admiring the blush.

 “Well yes, but I like candles, so I kept those ones.” Hux scratched at Millicent’s head, brows slightly furrowed, “I just wish I knew what the Supreme Leader is up to. His behaviour is somewhat… _erratic_.”

 “Maybe he’s going senile?” Kylo said, finally settling on a holo and hearing Hux snort.

 “‘ _Live, Love, Life Day’_? Really?”

 Kylo turned with a sheepish grin. “Well, they get caught in a snowstorm in this one. I thought we might be able to relate to it.” He took one look at Hux’s raised eyebrow and crumbled, “Okay, or maybe we can ignore it and make out?”

 “Now there’s an idea.”


	3. Chapter 3

While their relationship was not exactly a secret Hux thought it wise to keep things low key whenever they were on duty. No matter how much Kylo wanted to engineer a situation where Mitaka would walk in on them kissing. Their affection was kept to a minimum, contained within their quarters for the most part. One or two kisses were exchanged in passing but in general they were content in taking things slow.

Snoke didn’t seem to share this sentiment.

"I am to understand that bonded humans generally engage in acts of physical affection outside of mating purposes" Snoke said, peering down at Hux and Kylo. "I wonder why you do not?"

“Excuse me?” Kylo bit his lip inside his mask, Snoke’s interest was getting a little too much for his liking but he held his tongue at Hux’s pointed glare.

“I have simply noticed on the security feeds that you do not display the traditional minor affections of other bonded humans.”

Hux cleared his throat, trying hard to keep his expression neutral. "Supreme Leader, are you saying... you want us to... hold hands?" He shot another look at Kylo, who could practically feel his confusion.

Snoke leaned back and seemed to consider for a moment before his face curved into one of his terrifying not-quite smiles. "Yes. That would please me." He steepled his fingers, watching expectantly as Hux and Kylo exchanged glances before slowly, reluctantly, joining their hands together. Snoke nodded, “Good. I hope you have a fruitful day of genetic recombination ahead of you.” 

The hologram winked out leaving Hux and Kylo alone, hands joined between them. 

“He wants us to have kids.” Kylo’s voice was incredulous, “ _ That’s _ what he’s after..”

Hux squeezed at his hand, “Surely not. He’s just being supportive. We’ve only just started seeing each other, I mean we haven’t even…” his cheeks coloured and he straightened his back with a little cough. “Anyway, we should get back to work.”

"I’m telling you Hux. All this talk of ‘mating’, he thinks we can have children.”

 Hux shuddered, “Well then, he’s going to be very disappointed when he finds out we can’t.” He felt the blood drain from his face and he turned to Kylo. “You don’t think he’ll kill us if we can’t, do you?”

 Kylo shrugged, “Well he needs _me_ , I don’t know about you.” He pulled Hux to his side, giving him a light squeeze, voice light and teasing. “Maybe he’ll find me a new mate.”

 “Careful Ren. Keep talking like that and I’m never going to provide you with _sufficient ejaculatory fluid_.” Hux snorted as Kylo practically folded in on himself, laughter bubbling up from beneath the mask.

 “Please,” he gripped at Hux’s arm, “never say that again.”

 “What? You don’t want to? I am wounded, Kylo.” Hux couldn’t keep the smile from his face as Kylo unfastened his mask, tipping it back to reveal his lips.

 “Oh I definitely want to.” Kylo’s voice was husky, lips soft where he pressed them to Hux’s temple and Hux had the sneaking suspicion that Kylo couldn’t actually see. “I’d just rather wait a little. I don’t wanna feel like Snoke’s expectations have pushed us into it.”

 Hux exhaled, a little knot of worry loosening in his chest, “Yes, my sentiments exactly.” His hands fisted in Kylo’s cloak, pulling him closer, “That doesn’t mean you can’t kiss me though.”

 Kylo’s lips curved in a smile as he leaned in. “Yes General.”

 Evidently though, taking it slow did not fit into Snoke’s plan of things. Every few days Hux was faced with a report of new things that had been added to the _Finalizer_. Conference rooms became boudoir like haunts, filled with silks and fragrant ferns. Recreational areas sprouted multitudes of cushions, candles somehow appearing to flicker and spill wax over essential equipment. Hux was almost certain that the lights had been lowered too, making his eyes strain and water. Irritation prickled through him, not least because his officers seemed completely enamoured with the changes. He’d had to discipline more than a few people for inappropriate use of communal facilities and couldn’t quite get his head around the fact that Snoke expected he and Kylo to do the same.

 “This is ridiculous.” he said to Phasma, well aware that this was becoming a familiar refrain. “The ship is turning into a kriffing greenhouse.”

 “It’s just plants.” Phasma shrugged, “It’s not like they’re doing any harm.”

 “You won’t mind watering them all for me then?” Hux raised an eyebrow as Phasma tutted at him and left for her rounds. 

 Scanning the bridge, Hux nodded to himself. At least everything up here was normal. He tapped at his datapad, contemplating sending a message to Kylo and deciding against it. He didn’t want to seem too clingy. Circling the bridge Hux jolted as an alarm blared through the ship, the lights flickering. He snapped to attention. “Report.”

 “Emergency airlock expulsion on Trill level, Sir.”

 “Whose authorisation?” Hux’s fingers danced across the displays in front of him, checking stabilisers and oxygen levels before bringing up the securicam feed from that level.

 “Captain Phasma’s override code.” Kaplan said, breathing an audible sigh of relief as the alarms shut off. “All systems normal.”

 Hux meanwhile was already on his comm. “Phasma? What happened down there?”

 “I may have been wrong about the plants.” Phasma’s voice was slightly higher than usual. “We have two officers on the way to medbay with flesh wounds. Threat has been neutralised but we will need to sweep all the rooms where plants have been added.” She sighed loudly, “It seems we had a Reeksa onboard.”

 Hux tightened his grip on the comm, “And no one recognised it when it was brought in?” He could feel a nerve pounding in his temple, the first tendril of a headache creeping up his spine, already knowing who was to blame.

 “It was the Supreme Leader’s guards who supplied the plants.” Phasma said, “I’m not sure they realised it was carnivorous.”

 “Bloody fantastic.” Hux snapped, “Of course it’s Snoke. I don’t know what kind of experiment he’s trying to run on this ship, but when you endanger my crew it’s getting too much.” He had half a mind to demand a meeting with Snoke and make his displeasure known. If it weren’t almost guaranteed to result in his own death then he’d probably go through with it too.

 “I will make the report myself.” Phasma said and Hux could hear the tension in her voice. “This really is going overboard.”

 “I’m glad you agree. Have your troopers search for anything else that might be a threat and report back to me.” Hux shut off the comm and ran a hand across his forehead. Really, how was he supposed to get any work done around here?

 It wasn’t until Kylo flopped down at Hux’s table in the mess hall that he heard Snoke’s solution to the whole mess.

 “A party? Really?” Hux looked on incredulously as Kylo dropped his mask on the table and began stealing food from Hux’s plate.

 “Yes. It’s his way of an apology.” Kylo shrugged, smiling despite Hux swatting him away from his food and towards his own. “He wants to compensate for his error, in his words.”

 “Well at least he’s holding himself culpable.” Hux rolled his eyes, jumping slightly as Kylo’s hand caressed his thigh. “Stop that,” he hissed, “we’re in the middle of the mess hall.”

 “Aw, but you look so tense. I thought I could help.” Kylo’s fingers trailed down to Hux’s knee and he smiled to himself as Hux’s hand dropped beneath the table to hold his own in place.

 “You can help by making sure this whole party thing runs smoothly,” Hux said, turning back to his food but leaving his hand in place atop Kylo’s.

 “Does that mean I’m not gonna be able to dance with you or anything?” Kylo pouted, gazing up at Hux with wide eyes and feeling a burst of triumph at the colour that rose to his cheeks.

 Hux swallowed, unable to drag his gaze from the warm golden brown of Kylo’s eyes and squeezed slightly at his hand. “Well, if all is well then I don’t see why not.”

 *****

 To Hux’s eternal surprise, the party thrown by Snoke went off without a hitch. Maybe a few giggling officers passed him in the hallways heading for the soft alcoves (which were now mostly free of plants), but otherwise everything seemed normal.

 Kylo surveyed the main lounge, drink in hand, a pleasant warmth settled in his belly. The majority of the officers seemed far less tense than usual, laughing, dancing and swapping stories of the best ‘comfortable rooms’ as they were now known, on board. Spotting Hux, Kylo headed to his side, grabbing him a drink as he headed over.

 “So. Things seem pretty good overall.” Kylo said, voice raised slightly above the music. “No major signs of Snoke’s influence so far.”

 Hux gave a terse smile, accepting the glass Kylo held out, “To tell you the truth, I think Phasma had a lot to do with this. She seems to be able to reason with Snoke somehow.” He took a deep gulp and leaned slightly towards Kylo, “Better her than me.”

 “Maybe we should ask her to set him straight about the whole-” Kylo gestured between their chests, his fingers just brushing against Hux’s uniform, “-reproductively impossible thing.”

 “I don’t know,” Hux pursed his lips, “you’ve kind of got me paranoid when you mentioned being assigned another mate.” He glanced around, noting that most of the crew were too busy enjoying themselves to pay their co-commanders any attention. He brought a hand up to gently stroke Kylo’s cheek. “Against my better judgement I’m getting quite fond of you.”

 “Is that so?” Kylo raised his eyebrows in mock surprise before dropping his hand to give a quick squeeze to Hux’s ass, “Can’t think why.”

 “Oh shut up,” Hux shoved Kylo’s hand away halfheartedly, “Didn’t you say something about wanting to dance with me?”

 “I might have.” Kylo leaned in, barely brushing their lips together and feeling Hux instinctively lean towards him. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather find a free conference room? Word is they’re pretty comfortable.”

 “Are you that desperate to get into my trousers Ren?” Hux teased, pulling away to take a sip of his drink. “I’ll pass. Too many holocams in the hall. I’m sure the security monitoring team has seen more than their fair share of hook-ups tonight already.”

 “I could probably disable the cams,” Kylo murmured, breath ghosting across the shell of Hux’s ear and making him shiver “if you’re that concerned about people knowing.”

 Hux sighed, leaning slightly on Kylo’s arm. “It’s not ‘people’ I’m concerned about. There has to be something we can do that will make Snoke leave us alone, or at least less interested in our personal lives.”

 Kylo pulled Hux close, one arm around his narrow waist. “We’ll think of something. Something that won’t result in us both being killed.”

 Hux smiled. “Maybe we should get him a children’s guide to human anatomy and hope for the best?” He glanced around the room and the relaxed state of the officers, “At least he seems to have done something right this time.”

 “Very true.” Kylo could feel Hux’s fingers trailing down his side, seeking any gap in the layers of his robes. “Maybe this is a sign of things to come?”

 Of course it wasn’t.

 The first incident was passed off as a wiring fault, shorting out the damage control systems and setting off the sprinklers in the officers gymnasium, dousing Phasma and half a dozen others. The maintenance crew who were sent to fix it however, could find nothing wrong. It wasn’t until the third random deluge that it became obvious they were deliberate.

 Phasma slid a hand over the damp curls of her hair and frowned. Hux was right, this was getting ridiculous. She needed a break. Especially since she had somehow been the one in the midst of the artificial rainstorm every time it had occurred so far. She wasn’t sure exactly what Snoke hoped to achieve with this particular plan but she was going to make sure that it stopped.

 Meanwhile, Hux was heading to his quarters after his shift. So far maintenance had been unable to deprogramme the randomised sprinklers, resorting to simply increasing the number of mops in every store cupboard and hoping for the best. He rounded the corner towards his quarters and felt his stomach do a pleasurable little flip at the sight of Kylo, unmasked and waiting outside his rooms.

 “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Hux asked, unable to stop the smile curling up his cheeks.

 “I thought you’d maybe like to take a walk along the observation deck. We’re due to pass the Full Moon nebula soon,” Kylo trailed a gloved finger up Hux’s neck, sending shivers down his spine, “it might be nice.”

 Hux sighed in contentment, body unconsciously leaning into Kylo’s, “Mmm, that sounds lovely. Let me just get my-”

 Hux’s words were cut off by a loud click directly above them and the sudden rush of falling water. It seeped through his uniform in a matter of seconds, drenching him down to the skin.

 With a yell Kylo thrust his hand up, pushing the water outwards to leave himself and Hux under an invisible dome, water pattering down the sides in a gentle rhythm. Hux stepped closer, an expression of wonder on his face as he raised a hand to touch the Force made border between wet and dry. “That really is impressive.”

 Kylo leaned in, water running down the length of his nose and dropping on Hux’s cheek, “It’s nice of you to admit it for a change.” Warmth coursed through him despite the goosebumps prickling on his skin and he couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran up his spine. The smallest flash of pink was visible as Hux licked a raindrop from his lips, his breath soft on Kylo’s face.

 “Look at you, you’re soaked.” Hux’s fingers trailed down Kylo’s cheek, following the path of the errant raindrops. His own clothes were plastered to his body, as was his hair and Kylo couldn’t help but smile. He leaned into Hux’s gentle touch, feeling the warmth of breath on his chilled skin. With a quick glance around, Hux tipped Kylo’s chin towards him, brushing their lips together in the briefest of kisses.

 “We really should get dried off,” Kylo said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe, I could-” he swallowed, mouth unexpectedly dry and tilted his head towards Hux’s door, “-undress in your room?”

 Hux nodded, breath caught in his throat, heart fluttering in his chest like a caged bird. Not that he was nervous, of course he wasn’t. “I’d like that.”

 Kylo glanced over his shoulder as Hux keyed in the code to his rooms, it felt like someone was always watching on the ship and Kylo most definitely wanted this to stay between the two of them. There was a tug on his sodden sleeve as Hux joined their hands and pulled him into his quarters, the door swishing shut behind them and the held back rain hitting the floor in a splash.

 Both cloak and greatcoat were immediately dropped to the floor, only to be hung up a few moments later by Hux, tutting to himself. He fiddled with his boots, not even attempting to appear seductive and felt Kylo’s arms wrap about his waist, pulling him close.

 “Are you going to call maintenance about the sprinkler?” Kylo said, his lips brushing the sensitive spot just below Hux’s ear and feeling him shiver in response.

 “That can wait for now, it’s not like they’ll find anything wrong with it.” Hux turned, reaching for Kylo’s belt and meeting his eyes as it clipped open, “I believe you said something about getting undressed.”

 Kylo smoothed his hands over Hux’s shoulders before hesitating, removing his gloves and repeating the motion. He winced slightly at the feel of sodden fabric beneath his hands and settled instead for brushing his fingers through the darkened strands of Hux’s hair. “I did say that.” He wet his lips, feeling Hux’s fingers slide inside his tunic. “Did you maybe wanna do the same?”

 Hux answered by kissing him again, harder than before, more reminiscent of their first kiss, something that sent a jolt through Kylo and made him groan in response.

 “Stars Hux, I wanna touch you.”

 “You can touch me all you want, just help me get these clothes off.” Hux set to unbuttoning his uniform. It was trickier than expected, Kylo didn’t seem to want more than an inch of space between them at any time. He was all fingers and thumbs and overeager kisses that made heat surge through Hux’s body. He changed tactics, fumbling for the many layers of Kylo’s clothes, wanting nothing more than to press himself against the hard muscles he knew lay underneath.

 With a little maneuvering, a little patience, and a lot of kisses, they were finally undressed and Kylo could feel his heart thundering in his chest. He stood for a moment, simply drinking in the sight of Hux standing before him. 

 A dusting of freckles scattered across narrow shoulders and sharp collarbones highlighting the light flush that was rising on the pale skin. Kylo smoothed his hands down Hux’s chest, brushing across pink nipples that pebbled at his touch. He dropped his head to nuzzle against Hux’s neck, feeling him shudder as Kylo’s breath curled across this earlobe. Hesitantly, Kylo reached lower, brushing the soft hair on Hux’s softer belly, circling down to briefly palm his cock.

 “Kylo-” Hux slid his fingers into damp hair, pulling Kylo in for a kiss that was all tongues and saliva, pressing his chest against Kylo’s own and letting out a muffled moan at the feel of hard muscles. His other hand squeezed at Kylo’s ass and Hux could feel him slowly hardening between their stomachs.

 “Maybe we should go through to the bedroom?” Hux said, a flustered thrill bubbling in his chest at the dazed look on Kylo’s face.

 Kylo simply nodded, following along in Hux’s wake. Arousal burned low in him, eyes drawn to the tiny curve of Hux’s ass as he led the way. A few strides and he’d caught up, arms snaking around Hux’s waist and pressing him close. He rubbed his nose in Hux’s hair, the bright strands just starting to dry and fluff up, all product washed away by the sprinkler. He liked it better that way.

 Hux could feel the press of Kylo’s cock against his tailbone and felt a wash of nerves. He turned, pulling Kylo down to sit next to him on the bed and cleared his throat. “I should warn you now, it has been a while, so I may disappoint you.”

 One calloused palm stroked down Hux’s cheek and Kylo smiled, eyes crinkling in a way that made Hux feel suddenly so much lighter. “I’m so glad you said that.” Kylo’s teeth worried at his lower lip, turning it even pinker, “I’m a little rusty myself.”

 “Oh! That’s… good?” Hux raised an eyebrow, eyes meeting Kylo’s and finding the same expression of relief. Laughter bubbled up in his chest and Kylo followed, leaning into Hux’s arms. Hux ruffled the dark hair, pressing kisses to Kylo’s scalp. “Okay so we’ll just work this out as we go.” He stroked a hand up Kylo’s thigh, feeling the hard muscles beneath warm damp skin. “How do you prefer to-?”

 “Either,” Kylo said, voice muffled where his lips were pressed to Hux’s neck. “I really like fucking and I really like getting fucked.” He nipped at one earlobe, making Hux gasp, “You?”

 “Same.” Hux pressed a palm to Kylo’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart as he gently pushed him to lie back on the bed. He knelt between Kylo’s spread knees, diving down to kiss him once more. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him down in a tight embrace. Hux nosed at one nipple, tracing the pectoral muscle with his tongue and smiling at the little noise of want that slipped from Kylo’s lips. His cock was hard against Hux’s belly and Hux reached a hand between them, gently palming down the length of it. “I’d quite like to be inside you,” he murmured into heated skin just starting to dampen with sweat.

 Kylo groaned in agreement, parting his legs further and Hux leaned back, admiring the sight. The scarring only seemed to enhance the overall impression of strength that practically rolled off Kylo in waves. But there was a vulnerability there too; something in the barely parted pink lips, the fingertips clenched in Hux’s sheets, the way Kylo leaned into his every touch. It made Hux’s senses sing, thrilled that he was allowed to see such a side of the Order’s fiercest Knight.

 Kylo blinked up at Hux, chest oddly tight. He felt as if they were in a bubble, a timeless pocket of space that existed only for them, outside the Order, outside space, outside the Force itself. This was for them and them alone. Kylo swallowed, needing to distract himself from the overwhelming sensation. He glanced around, tilting his head towards the bedside cabinet, “I’m presuming you have lube and stuff?”

 “Hmm? Oh! Yes. In the drawer.” Hux shook himself slightly, cheeks flushing, “Sorry, I’m staring. You’re just so-” he trailed his fingers up Kylo’s sides, tickling him slightly, “-wow.” 

 “I’ve never heard that before,” Kylo said, taking Hux’s face in his hands, thumbs running over sharp cheekbones. He pressed his forehead to Hux’s, shutting his eyes and breathing deep in satisfaction. “The feeling is mutual you know.”

 “Mm-” 

 Hux’s reply was cut off by soft lips on his own, slower than the last time. Where before there was a raging fire, there was now a softly glowing ember, still burning, slow and steady but no less powerful. Kylo pulled back, meeting Hux’s eyes and not saying a word, just drinking in the sight and the taste of his breath. He pulled gently on the thread of his power, the tiniest sliver of impatience cutting into his daze.

 “I-” Hux started, colour high on his cheeks, eyebrows raising as he was gently nudged on the elbow by a floating bottle of lube. He snorted in a laugh, “Okay, yes, I get the message.”

 He lowered his head, licking a wet stripe down Kylo’s stomach and pressing open mouthed kisses downwards. He breathed deep, inhaling the scent of arousal and feeling Kylo shiver as he flicked out his tongue, barely catching the head of Kylo’s cock. Hux smiled to himself, grasping Kylo’s buttocks and squeezing, kneading at the tight muscles. He uncapped the bottle, dribbling the slick down Kylo’s cock, watching it glisten in the curls of dark hair and hearing Kylo gasp his name.

 “Armitage, come on, please.”

 Hux’s stomach flipped. No one had ever said his name that way before, it shocked him. He slid his hand around the base of Kylo’s cock, squeezing gently, “What did you call me?”

 Kylo arched his back as Hux slid his hand from base to tip, circling the head with his thumb. “Armitage? Ah! Don’t you like it?”

 “Hmm,” Hux continued slowly pumping Kylo’s cock, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I’m not sure.” His other hand gently kneaded at Kylo’s balls, fingers slipping to tease at the crease of his ass. “I could get used to it I suppose. If it’s when we’re doing _this_.” He coaxed at Kylo’s hole, gently circling, spreading the lube and barely pressing inwards. Warmth filled Hux’s chest as he watched Kylo’s mouth fall open; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt happy hearing his forename. It was quite possible in fact, that this was the very first time.

 Hux stilled his hand then, the need to kiss Kylo too great to resist. He crawled up, covering Kylo’s body with his own, wrapping his arms around Kylo’s neck and pressing their lips together, desperate to taste him.

 Kylo groaned, pulling Hux against him, one hand tangling in the spikes of his hair. He wrapped his legs around Hux’s waist, arching up, grinding their cocks together and feeling Hux’s hand trail down his side to squeeze at his ass. Unbidden, a thought trickled through his mind and Kylo couldn’t help but giggle into Hux’s mouth.

 “What is it?” Hux asked, a small smile on his face, “Did I tickle you?”

 Shaking his head against the pillow, Kylo replied, laughter punctuating his words. “It’s nothing. I just- I just wondered if you’d be- providing me with-” Kylo curled in on himself, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “-with sufficient ejaculatory fluids!” He snorted at the look of mortification on Hux’s face and buried his own in his hands. “I’m sorry Hux, I’m so sorry.”

 Hux pulled away completely, leaving Kylo to uncurl, pouting at the loss of contact. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, “You’d better be bloody sorry. Making me think of Snoke at a time like this.”

 “I am- I just-” Kylo’s shoulders were shaking and he collapsed back onto the bed, unable to stop laughing. He pulled Hux down, wrapping his arms around him and pressing a small kiss to his forehead. “Sorry, I’m done, I’m okay. You can keep going now.”

 “Oh good.” Hux breathed into Kylo’s neck, running his tongue up the column of his throat before pushing their lips together. Kylo’s eyes slipped closed, his own tongue meeting Hux’s and he sagged into the mattress, pleasure starting to course through his body again. It only lasted a few moments before Hux pulled back, cheeks flushed, eyebrows creased together. “Nope, sorry. Can’t get the image of Snoke out of my head now.” He met Kylo’s eyes with a look so woeful that Kylo couldn’t help but start laughing again.

 To his joy, Hux’s stony expression cracked and he curled up against Kylo’s side, snorting. “Oh this is ridiculous.”

 “You seem to be saying that an awful lot recently.” Kylo said, rolling to hover over Hux.

 “For good reason,” Hux parted his knees, groaning softly as Kylo spread his hands over his chest, rubbing circles on his nipples, “I’m starting to think this isn’t about reproduction at all. This is just some bizarre experiment to see how we react to stress.”

 “Hmm.” Kylo stroked a hand down Hux’s stomach, “I’d rather see how you react to _this_.” He grabbed for the lube, squirting it into his hands and palming Hux’s cock. Pale thighs clenched on Kylo’s hips and he felt a jolt of pure want flow through him. Hux’s slim chest rose and fell, his breath starting to speed as Kylo slipped his fingers lower.

 “Maybe we should switch directions?” he said, gently circling Hux’s hole and feeling him rock his hips in response. He smiled to himself as Hux’s eyes slipped shut and he nodded, hissing in a breath as Kylo gently pushed his finger inwards. He narrowed his focus, acting purely on impulse, following each hitch of Hux’s breath, each flutter of eyelids and twitch of fingertips.

 Hux panted, throat bobbing as he swallowed back his moans. Kylo touched him with the same intensity he gave every focus of his life. Dark eyes blown almost black fixed on Hux’s face, stripping him down to nothing more than raw feelings, pressure swelling in his chest. Keening out, Hux reached for Kylo’s free hand, relief flooding him as fingers threaded through his own, grounding him in the moment.

 “Is this okay?” Kylo murmured, spreading his fingers, curling them up, searching. “Tell me when I’ve got it.”

 “Just a little to the left.” Hux shifted, trying to nudge Kylo in the right direction. “A tiny-ah bit further. There!” He arched off the bed, toes curling at every stroke of Kylo’s fingers. Hux could hear his own whine in his ears and gripped tight at Kylo’s hand. “Please, I’m ready. I want you Kylo.”

 “Yeah, yeah,” Kylo nodded, fumbling for the bedside drawer and swearing softly as he dropped the condom to the floor. He scooped it back up and found Hux pulling him into a soft kiss.

 “Let me get that for you.” 

 Kylo hissed in a breath, feeling Hux roll the barrier down his length, lightly squeezing at his cock and kissing him again. He slicked himself and felt Hux pull him downwards, only stopping to grab a pillow and shimmy it underneath his back. “Okay. I’m good.”

 “You’re more than good,” Kylo smiled and pushed slowly in, eyes firmly fixed on Hux’s face. Pale eyelashes fluttered closed and Kylo felt fingers clamp tight on his back. He waited for Hux to relax, slowly sliding forwards until he was finally buried to the hilt, and stopped. His knees trembled, breath coming in little pants. Pressure was building in his chest, a warmth that had nothing to do with the usual pulsing power of the Force flowing through him. Hux’s hands rubbed circles on his heated skin and he gazed up at Kylo, pushing one lock of hair from his face.

 “You feel so-” Hux shifted, chest fluttering as Kylo nuzzled against his palm. “Kiss me.” he demanded, arching up to take Kylo’s face in his hands before circling his hips, willing him to move.

 Kylo groaned into his mouth, slowly thrusting and Hux could feel the low burn of arousal starting to build. Kylo was above him, around him, inside him, his tongue tangled with Hux’s own, his cock brushing his prostate on every pass.

 “F-fuck,” Hux gasped out. His cock twitched against his belly, precome already leaking onto the coarse trail of red hair. He reached down, jerking himself in time with Kylo’s movements, “I’m not going to last.”

 Kylo’s forehead creased and he let out a breathy little laugh that quickly turned to a groan, “Oh thank fuck for that.” His movements sped, each thrust of his hips knocking another moan from Hux. “I’m so close already, I wanted to make it good for you.”

 “It’s good. So good.” Hux arched, fingernails digging into the soft skin of Kylo’s hip, “Just like that. Don’t stop.”

 Kylo pressed his lips together, trying to focus, concentration shattering with every one of Hux’s moans. “Hux- Armitage, I’m gonna come.” he grunted, so close to the edge, pleasure peaking as he felt Hux clench around him.

 “Yes, yes, good. Just a little more.” Hux squeezed tight on his cock, feeling Kylo thicken inside him. His hips stuttered and jerked and Kylo reached for Hux, moaning into his mouth as he rode out his release. Hux threw his head back, overwhelmed with sensation, Kylo’s hips still moving in staccato thrusts. One rough hand closed over Hux’s fist, pumping in time with his ragged breaths and making him cry out, spilling over their joined hands.

 “F-fuck, Kylo!” Hux panted as Kylo slumped forwards onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around him, breathing in the scent of his hair. “That was- you were- you _are_ wonderful.”

 Kylo simply responded by nuzzling against his chest before pulling out with a wince and flopping to one side. He breathed deep, burying his nose into the copper hair of Hux’s armpit and pulling him into a tight hug.

 “Can I stay here tonight?”

 Hux smiled lazily, feeling heavy and sated, more content than he had been in a long while. “Of course you can, your clothes still need to dry anyway.” 

 Kylo nipped at his collarbone, leaning up on one elbow, “Maybe later we could go again?” His eyes shone, bright and eager and Hux had to suppress a laugh.

 “Maybe we can.” His eyebrows creased, “Just… do me a favour and don’t mention Snoke again.”

 “Of course not,” Kylo snuggled close, “This is about you and me. No one else. Not Snoke. Not anyone.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I heard a rumour.” Phasma grinned, brandishing a bottle of wine as Hux’s door slid open. 

“Oh what now?” Hux sighed with a wry smile, gesturing for Phasma to come in. “If it’s about Mitaka and Unamo hooking up after the party then I already know.”

 “No actually,” Phasma’s lips curved in a deadly smile. “This is a tad more recent.” She sauntered to the couch and draped herself over it with a delicately arched eyebrow. “Word has it that your boyfriend spent the night.”

 Hux paused, fingers momentarily gripping tight on the glasses in his hand. “And where exactly did you hear that one?” He settled next to Phasma, nodding for her to pour him a glass.

 “Oh just a friend on the security team, they mentioned seeing him leave here the other morning.” Phasma took a sip, noting the colour rising on Hux’s cheeks. “ I can’t help but notice you haven’t denied it.”

 “There’s nothing to tell.” Hux shrugged, “We had a nice night. Why are you so interested anyway?”

 Phasma cleared her throat, “Well, apart from the gossip?” She grumbled slightly to herself and patted Hux on the shoulder, “It’s just nice to see you relaxed for a change.”

 Thankfully Hux didn’t question her, he simply sat back and smiled to himself. Phasma tilted her head, looking him over. Really it was amazing the change that getting laid made. Most of the crew had noticed, even if she was the only one confident enough to mention it. Things onboard were running more smoothly and productivity had increased exponentially since the arguments on the bridge had ceased and their co-commanders had actually started working together.

 Phasma sipped her wine and shook her head, mostly to herself, she honestly could have never predicted this outcome when she signed up to help Snoke with his plan. She definitely deserved a holiday.

 “I’m taking your silence as confirmation something happened you know,” Phasma said with a smirk at Hux who simply raised his glass towards her, a matching smile on his own face.

 “Twice.”

 Fumbling her glass, Phasma raised her hands, “Okay, fine. _Don’t_ give me all the details, please.” She answered his toast with her own. “Well done.” She shifted slightly, trying to move the conversation along. “Now anyway, Mitaka and Unamo, really?”

 “Oh it won’t turn into anything. But Kylo tells me one of his Knights has a thing for the Lieutenant, I think he’s hoping something will come of that. Poor dear is still convinced Mitaka has a thing for me.” Hux sighed and Phasma couldn’t help but feel a little flutter of affection at the expression on his face. He was quite clearly besotted. It was almost enough to alleviate the miniscule flutter of guilt she felt at reporting all their movements to Snoke. At least now, she hoped, the Supreme Leader would be satisfied.

 “Well enough about that,” Phasma said. “I’m sure there are far more interesting things going on.”

 Hux’s shoulders shuddered, “No carnivorous plants at least.” He set his glass aside as Millicent bounced onto his lap and idly scratched at her ears. “Word is that Kaplan smuggled a cat onboard.”

 “Well you can’t exactly punish him, can you?” Phasma sipped her drink, smiling at the light flush on Hux’s cheeks, Millie was his one weakness, aside from brooding Force-users it seemed.

 “No I suppose not.” Hux reached for his glass once more, “Anyway, what’s new with you?”

 “Nothing much,” Phasma said. “I’m hoping to have little vacation soon but it all depends on Snoke’s authorisation.”

 Hux let out a sigh and Phasma could see the flash of irritation that crossed his face. “Ah yes, the Supreme Leader.” He brushed a hand across his temple, “I’m due to meet with him in a few days.” He downed the last of his glass and set to refilling it, “Tell me, has Snoke seemed particularly…” he took a sip as he searched for the right term, “- _odd_ recently?”

 Phasma shook her head, lips pursed tight, “Not that I’m aware of.” Hux fell silent and Phasma felt the same vague sense of guilt as before. She drank her wine in silence.

 Hux really had no idea.

 *****

 “Right. Let’s get this over with.” Hux held his hand out towards Kylo, a fine crease between his eyebrows.

 “Maybe he actually has a mission for us this time?” Kylo’s face twisted in uncertainty as he intertwined his fingers with Hux’s and faced the dais where Snoke usually appeared.

 “I’m sorry darling, I don’t think our luck is that good.”

 Kylo’s breath caught in his throat and he squeezed at Hux’s hand, “Say that again.”

 “Darling?” Hux’s lips quirked in the beginnings of a smile and Kylo stepped towards him.

 “Armitage.”

 “Gentlemen.” 

 The crackle of Snoke’s voice sent Kylo springing backwards, instinctively slamming his helmet over his face. If he’d thought Snoke’s occasional half smile was terrifying it was nothing compared to the unadulterated horror that was his outright grin.

 “Oh now, don’t stop your mating display on my behalf.” Snoke loomed over them both, hands spread in welcome. “I have heard the wonderful news and wished to congratulate you. I trust you were able to complete copulation procedures thoroughly?”

 “ _Oh for fucks sake_.” Kylo heard Hux whisper under his breath, his cheeks already blooming bright scarlet. He straightened, tilting his chin upwards. “May I ask as to why you’re so interested in the proceedings?” Rage radiated from him, palpable in the air, his grip on Kylo’s fingers tightening. “I do not believe our relationship has any importance to the wider plans of the Order.”

 Kylo gazed at Hux, breath quickening as his normally calm voice rose. Hux’s eyes were blazing, his skin heating as he stared Snoke down, challenging him directly. It was idiotic. It was insubordination. It was, quite frankly, hot as fuck.

 Snoke simply leaned back, steepling his fingers, an indulgent smile on his face. “Now General. I am merely curious. I understand that you feel protective towards your mate but you must not overexert yourself at this delicate stage.” He tilted his head and Kylo froze, feeling the creeping tendrils of Snoke’s power brushing the edge of his awareness. “Kylo Ren is an excitable human. Surely you can see the effect you have on him.”

 Kylo sucked in a breath, a strangled choke coming from his throat as he dropped Hux’s hand and desperately trying to haul his emotions back into the boundaries of his body. He dropped his head to his chest in a short bow. “Supreme Leader, if there is no mission then please excuse me.” He turned on his heel, feeling Hux’s shock ripple through him and squeezed his eyes shut.

 He’d make it up to him later.

 *****

 “C’mon, I said I was sorry.” Kylo stretched across Hux’s couch, one hand tentatively brushing his knee, only to have it shoved away.

 “You abandoned me to deal with Snoke, _again_!” Hux folded his arms, very pointedly not looking in Kylo’s direction, “You just hide behind that mask of yours while I have to endure complete mortification.” Millicent hopped onto his lap with a chirp and a haughty look at Kylo, immediately purring as he scratched her ears.

 “Excuse me for not wanting to discuss our sex life with Snoke!” Kylo brushed his fingers through his hair in frustration.

 “Yes, well, I don’t exactly enjoy it myself you know. But it would be nice to have you backing me up, you are my… um-” Hux’s cheeks coloured in a light blush and Kylo leaned towards him, voice teasing.

 “I’m your what? Your boyfriend? Your lover? Significant other?”

 “Significant annoyance, more like.” Hux’s expression softened and he held out his arm, beckoning for Kylo to slide closer. His fingers stroked down Kylo’s neck, mirroring the movements of his other hand on Millicent’s fur.  Kylo curled into his side and brushed his nose across Hux’s temple.

 “I have a question.”

 “Hmm?” Hux idly twirled a strand of Kylo’s hair, thumb brushing down the path of Kylo’s scar, the damaged nerves there registering nothing more than a numb tingle.

 “Why is she allowed on your lap and I’m not?” Kylo ruffled Millicent’s fur, making her stretch out, claws digging into Hux’s knee.

 “Ow, Millie!” Hux gently unhooked her from his trousers and turned his face towards Kylo, “Well for one thing she isn’t six foot two and built like the back end of a bantha.” He pulled Kylo closer, lips brushing up his throat.

 Millicent leapt down, disappearing off somewhere into the vents to hunt and Hux took the opportunity to haul Kylo’s legs up across his own. “There. Are you happy now?” he breathed across the shell of Kylo’s ear before running his tongue along it.

 “I could be happier,” Kylo said, leaning back and pulling Hux to lie atop him, sinking into the cushions of the couch. He spread his legs either side of Hux’s hips and cupped the back of his head, pulling him down in an open mouthed kiss.

 Gloved fingers gripped tight on Kylo’s shoulders as Hux’s tongue brushed against his own, tangling them together in a dance of hot breath and saliva. Kylo groaned, bucking his hips, hands roaming under Hux’s uniform to smooth across narrow ribs and rapidly peaking nipples. He could feel Hux grinding into him, already starting to harden, teeth coming out to nip lightly at his lower lip.

 Pulling back, Hux gazed down at Kylo. Heat filled him, pulsing, overwhelming, he needed to do something **now**. He grabbed the finger of one glove between his teeth, pulling it off in one fluid motion, needing to touch with bare skin. Kylo’s thighs were either side of his hips, soft and warm and frustratingly clothed and Hux scraped his teeth across his bottom lip, fumbling with the fastening of Kylo’s trousers.

 “You wear far too many layers darling, you know that?” Hux stripped off his other glove, running his hand up the tightly bunched muscle of Kylo’s thigh, squeezing lightly at his ass before pushing the trousers down and letting Kylo’s cock spring free. He wet his lips, taking in the delicate curve, the flushed head, and ran his fingers through the tangle of dark hair to grip tight on the base of Kylo’s cock.

 Kylo arched at the touch, his reply wiped from his mind when Hux’s lips wrapped around him. He groaned out, hips gently thrusting as Hux bobbed, the flat of his tongue swirling around the sensitive head of his cock.

 “Ff-uck, Hux- Armitage…” Hux smirked around Kylo’s cock, eyes fluttering shut as a large hand dropped to stroke gently through his hair. He hollowed his cheeks to increase suction and squeezed at Kylo’s shaft, gently pumping his hand up and down the length. Breathing deep, Hux inhaled, mouth watering at the scent of Kylo’s arousal, faintly tinged with sweat and the ever present smokiness of Kylo’s skin. He swallowed and felt Kylo thrust forwards, another delicious moan falling from his lips.

 Hux’s other hand moved lower, fondling at Kylo’s balls, rolling and cupping them gently. He stretched a finger to tease at Kylo’s hole and was rewarded with the first salt-sweet tang of precome. Twirling his tongue, he lapped at the slit, finger stroking back and forth across the furl of Kylo’s hole before he pulled off with an obscene _pop_.

 “What are you -ah!” Kylo’s fingers clenched in Hux’s hair as he felt a trail of little sucking kisses pressed down the length of his cock before he dropped his head lower, tongue laving up the crease of his ass. He could feel Hux’s nose nudging at his sack and spread his legs as wide as they would go given the trousers still around his ankles. Hux’s warm breath ghosted over his entrance, followed quickly by a wet lap of his tongue and Kylo arched up, gripping the back of the couch, trying to hold himself steady.

 Hux nudged the back of one thigh, with a murmur, encouraging Kylo to move. “Turn over darling.” Kylo instantly complied. He leaned forwards on his knees, arching his back and displaying his ass to Hux. He was still almost completely clothed, trousers bunched around his shins. Desire prickled up his spine, knowing Hux had removed nothing more than his gloves.

 Hux wet his lips, smiling to himself at the sight of Kylo’s wet, hole, twitching and clenching with every gust of his breath. He trailed his finger downwards, circling the rim before continuing on, caressing Kylo’s balls and running a hand down the dripping length of his cock. Kylo moaned out, raising his ass higher, as if trying to bring it to Hux’s attention, sighing when Hux pressed a kiss to his tailbone.

 “Armitage, please.” Kylo’s voice was barely audible, his forehead pressed against the couch cushions as he leaned on his elbows, breath speeding with anticipation. He squirmed, cock thrusting into empty space, hissing in a breath as Hux finally started moving his mouth lower.

 The hot puffs of breath had Kylo shivering, goosebumps prickling on his skin. Hux kissed around his hole, tongue flicking out to lap in teasing little circles before plunging inwards. Kylo’s breath was punched from him with every minute thrust of Hux’s tongue, curling and lapping, pressing further and further inwards. The faint layer of Hux’s stubble scratched at his cheeks, the mild discomfort only serving to highlight the arousal pooling in his balls. Kylo’s eyes fluttered closed and he moaned. Part of him wanted to grab for Hux, touch him, give him the same pleasure that washed over Kylo completely, the other part though, never wanted him to stop.

 Fingers clenching on the cushions, it took everything Kylo had not to thrust back, wanting more, harder, further. He could feel Hux’s nose pressed hard up against his tailbone as his mouth worked. He lapped and sucked, kissing and tongueing, plunging into Kylo over and over, always pressing further, but never quite enough. Kylo’s frustration was growing. Pleasure coursed through him, prickling up his spine with every almost press of Hux’s tongue, but he needed more.

 “Armitage, please, you need to fuck me.” Kylo panted, sweat beading on his forehead, “I need more.” He twisted around, eyes wide and desperate. 

 “Okay, okay,” Hux murmured, raising his head and smoothing his hand across Kylo’s back. He reached to undo his uniform, stopping when Kylo reached back, gripping his sleeve.

 “Don’t. Keep it on.”

 “Really?” Hux raised an eyebrow and smirked, his fingers running down to barely press inwards. “You like that do you?”

 Kylo nodded, trying to drive himself onto the slim digits. His damp hair curled over his eyes, his cock twitching with Hux’s every word.

 “You like to imagine me in uniform, bending you over, just like this?”

 “Yesss.” Kylo moved to wrap his hand around his straining cock but was stopped by a gentle pet to the elbow from Hux’s free hand. Hux spread his fingers, teasing open Kylo’s spit-slick hole.

 “You want me to fuck you, just like this? Only undressing enough to get my cock out and shove it in your pretty arse?”

 “Please, oh yes, oh please.” Kylo was almost delirious now, forehead pressed to his crossed arms, cock bobbing free beneath him.

 “Well, I think I can manage that.” Hux gently removed his fingers and rubbed another soothing circle on Kylo’s back, “I’m just going to get the-”

 His words were cut off by an insistent knocking at the door and both men froze. Kylo didn’t dare move, goosepimples covering his heated skin as Hux rose from the couch. “Maybe they’ll go away,” he suggested, wincing as the metallic pounding started again.

 “I’m just going to go tell them to bugger off,” Hux said. His hair fell across his forehead, his cheeks only slightly flushed despite the heat. He’d never been so glad of the First Order trousers though, the voluminous fabric handily concealing the hard press of his erection for the most part. He marched to the door, barely sliding it open, peering one eye out to find a catering droid on the other side.

 “I didn’t order anything, now go away.” 

 “Sir, I have orders not to leave until you have accepted these supplies.” The droid held up a small bag that Hux snatched impatiently, throwing it to one side inside the door. 

 “There, accepted. Will you go now?”

 “I will return to my duties. Good evening General.”

 The door was already closed.

 Kylo meanwhile was barely holding it together. He slumped to lie completely facedown on the couch, muffling his voice with one hand as his cock pressed against the cushions. Shifting, craving friction, Kylo moved his hips in shallow little thrusts, barely hearing Hux.

 “Sorry Kylo darling, some fucking droid. I’m just going to fetch what we need.”

 Kylo rubbed his face against the couch cushions, revelling in the sensations. His cock was impossibly hard, precome smearing across the fabric with every cant of his hips. Pleasure was slowly rising, like waves lapping on the shore and Kylo’s eyes fluttered shut, his movements gradually speeding.

 “Well now.” Hux’s voice was warm, tinged with amusement and Kylo blinked, biting his own lip, unable to stop his hips from circling. Hux uncapped the bottle of lube in his hand, slicking his fingers and trailing them down the crease of Kylo’s ass. “Go on then.” He pressed in, fingers curling in firm, confident strokes. “Maybe I should just watch you get yourself off by humping my cushions, would you like that?”

 Kylo whined, hips moving faster, spurred on by the desire on Hux’s face. He felt Hux push his hair from his face with his free hand, bending forwards to kiss his sweaty forehead. “Would you rather I fuck you?”

 Kylo nodded, the pressure in his chest spiking, too much to bear, his words coming from his mouth in almost a sob. “Yes. Please.”

 Hux settled behind him, coaxing him back onto his knees and Kylo glanced over his shoulder, cock twitching at the sight. Hux was still fully clothed, as promised, simply undoing his breeches enough to free his erection. Kylo squeezed his eyes shut, holding himself, hoping against hopes that he wouldn’t come the instant Hux was inside him.

 “You’re awfully tense,” Hux said, hand circling on Kylo’s back again, “is everything okay?”

 “Yes.” Kylo panted out, “Good. So good. Keep going.”

 “Okay.” Hux took himself in hand, sliding the barrier over himself and nudging at Kylo’s entrance. He slid in easily, slowly letting go of the breath he’d been holding and gripping tight on Kylo’s hips. Groaning out, Hux gave a short, sharp thrust, bucking into the tight warmth of Kylo’s ass and feeling a thrill of triumph at the noise Kylo made.

 Kylo clenched tight around Hux, drinking in sensation with every pore of his body. His cock slapped against his clothed stomach with every thrust of Hux’s hips, the rough fabric of his robe slipping over his skin with deliciously rough friction. He felt coiled tight, ready to burst, so close to the edge with every slight scrape of Hux’s uniform against his balls.

 Hux was panting, desperately rutting into Kylo as if his life depended on it. His mind sang with joy, he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve this. What had seemed like major annoyances were now funny little quirks, the voice that had always seemed to taunt him now moaned his name. Kylo was so, so much more than he’d expected. So smart, so strong, so funny, and a bright little splinter of Hux’s mind seemed to shine as he held Kylo closer; he really could come to l-

 “Oh fuck!” Hux’s mind blanked, vision whiting out as his climax overtook him. He grabbed desperately for Kylo’s cock, pumping it with his lube slick hand, once, twice, and then Kylo was moaning his name, clenching tight around him. Hux slumped over Kylo’s back, regretting not being naked to relish the skin to skin contact.

 They lay together for several long moments, just breathin, a warm afterglow surrounding them. Hux reached for Kylo’s hand, taking it in a brief squeeze. Kylo trembled beneath him, panting, aftershocks running through him as he mumbled.

 “I think I ruined your pillow.”

 Kylo shivered as Hux nuzzled into his damp hair, “That’s okay. I have more than enough spare pillows.” He pulled out, leaving Kylo with a brief pang of emptiness before Hux kneeled beside him, tilting his face up for a soft kiss.

 Muscles aching as they relaxed, Kylo stood, awkwardly shuffling his trousers back up and stretching his legs, “So what did the droid bring you?” His clothes clung to his skin, sticky and uncomfortable and Kylo followed Hux towards the fresher where he was cleaning himself off.

 “Honestly I have no idea. I just chucked it to one side and shut the door.” Hux wrapped his arms around Kylo’s neck, “I had far more important business to attend to, didn’t I?”

 Kylo nudged Hux’s forehead with his nose, meeting his eyes with a mock pout, “Is that all I am to you? Business?”

 “No, you’re right, how silly of me.” Hux gave Kylo a quick peck on the lips before pulling him into a tight embrace. “You are most definitely pleasure.”

 Kylo gave Hux’s ass a quick squeeze before returning to the main living room and scooping up the parcel Hux had discarded. He moved to sit on the couch, nose wrinkling a little at the cushions now splattered with his come. “I’ll just shove these in the garbage disposal.” he shouted through.

 “Thank you. There are about fifty spare ones in the cupboard too.” Hux appeared around the door,  now in his off duty clothes of plain black trousers and shirt, “Thanks to Snoke of course.” He glanced at the parcel in Kylo’s hand. “I swear, if this is edible panties again...”

 “Then at least now you have someone to eat them off of you?” Kylo smirked as Hux turned to him, eyebrow raised.

 “I hadn’t considered that.” Hux took the little bag and peered inside, nose wrinkling. “How lovely. It seems to be some sort of gelatinous meat,” he reached in, drawing out a little bottle of faintly green translucent liquid. “And a bottle of lube.”

 He dropped both items on the table, sharing an exasperated look with Kylo. “Let’s think, who could possibly have sent these?” His voice was high and strangled, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. Hux pinched at the bridge of his nose and sighed. “This is fucking ridiculous.”

 “Maybe it’s just a mix up? A one off?” Kylo slipped his arm around Hux’s shoulders. His skin was still flushed and warm and Kylo couldn’t help but pull him closer, feeling Hux relax against his chest. He nuzzled against Kylo’s pectoral muscles, voice muffled.

 “You know it’s not. It will happen again.”

 Hux unfortunately, was right. 

 It seemed that no matter the reason for visiting one another’s quarters, be it dates, sex, or even (on rare occasions) getting some work done; after a little time the catering droid would inevitably appear. They brought everything from oysters to powdered sarlacc root, endless so-called aphrodisiacs from all sectors of the galaxy, all of which were quickly tossed in the trash compactor.

In an attempt to make things stop, Kylo shorted out all the holocameras in the hallways between their rooms, figuring that if the droids didn’t know they were in there then they wouldn’t know when to arrive. Hux however, in a fit of uncharacteristic rebelliousness, had decided that the best solution was to corner Kylo in empty hallways, every so often dragging him into the overly cushioned conference rooms. Some manic part of his brain reasoned that the more Snoke was assured that they were indeed “mating”, the less likely he would be to bother them about it.

It wasn’t until the third time they had almost been caught that he changed his mind.

Tensions were rising between himself and Kylo, neither knowing what Snoke expected of them. He was a shadow hanging over their relationship, a great thundercloud always threatening to break. The pressure was building and it was only a matter of time before it got too much.


	5. Chapter 5

“And everything is progressing… well?” Snoke squinted at Kylo, looking him up and down, seemingly searching for something. 

“As well as ever, Supreme Leader.” Hux said, voice dull, face tired when Kylo turned to look at him. “Do we have a mission or are you just checking in?”

"I am simply monitoring your progress.” Snoke said with a wave of his hand. “You may go.”

Kylo gave a short bow while Hux merely nodded his head, wrenching his hand from Kylo’s as soon as Snoke’s hologram disappeared.

“Armitage, you’re tense, what can I do to help?” Kylo, to his credit, was maskless, having left it in his quarters to remove the temptation of hiding behind it if Snoke got too much.

“It’s nothing Kylo, just leave it.” Hux turned away, rubbing at his forehead in frustration. “I’m just sick of this constant scrutiny. I don’t like not knowing his expectations.” He breathed deep, shoulders shuddering a little as Kylo’s glove brushed his face. He held Kylo’s hand to his cheek, voice a hoarse whisper. “I just want to be with you. Is that so much to ask?”

“You are with me.” Kylo pressed his forehead to Hux’s own. “We’ll say something. We’ll figure this out.” He pulled Hux to his chest, wrapping him tight in his arms and burying his nose in his hair.

Unbeknownst to them, Phasma slipped back through the doorway, not wanting to intrude. The faint stir of guilt she’d had before was growing. Messing with Kylo and Hux just wasn’t the same now that actual feelings were involved. Maybe at the start, teasing the two had been an almost guaranteed source of amusement, but now? Something about the situation just didn’t seem quite as fun anymore.

She turned on her heel, leaving the pair in their embrace.

 She was going to have to come clean.

 The opportunity however, didn’t seem to present itself. When she turned up at Hux’s door the next evening, wine in hand, there was no answer and she wasn’t about to go knocking on Kylo’s. She shrugged to herself, making a mental note to message Hux soon. In the meantime, she would speak to Snoke.

 She strode into the conference room, punching in her code and tapping her foot, waiting for Snoke’s hologram to rise out of the dais. He greeted her with a bemused look.

 “Captain Phasma, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

 “I’ve just been having some concerns about the study, Sir.” Phasma straightened up, face neutral, trying to figure out the best way to word things. “It seems that the subjects are feeling extremely pressured by the constant interruptions to their courtship. I don’t believe it is good for their health.” She cleared her throat. “Surely the best environment for any experiment is a naturalistic one?”

 Phasma rolled her eyes to herself beneath her helmet. Really she was just pulling scientific jargon out of her arse. Snoke however, was looking thoughtful. He peered down at her, nodding slowly. “I see. Very well then, I defer to your superior knowledge of your own species.” He drummed his fingers on the armrest of his throne, clearly mulling over his options. “You have given me something to think about. I am grateful for your input.”

 “Yes Supreme Leader.” Phasma sighed, a little bit of weight off her shoulders. Hopefully now she could get on with things without worrying about Kylo and Hux and their stupid emotions.

 She was slightly less pleased the next day.

 Hux wandered onto the bridge with a slightly dazed expression, shaking his head to himself. Phasma leaned over, passing a hand in front of his eyes, “Hux? You in this sector?”

 Pale eyes blinked and Hux finally focused on Phasma. “Oh, what? Yes. Sorry.” He waved a hand dismissively over his shoulder, “Just another meeting with Snoke.” He gave a quick glance around before dropping his voice. “He’s just assigned Kylo and I new quarters. They’re huge.”

 Phasma’s smile fell. She’d been requesting an upgrade ever since she’d arrived on board. And after everything she’d helped Snoke with, the bastard.

 “Why exactly?” she asked, fully anticipating the flush that rose on Hux’s cheeks.

 “Um, he seems to think we can have children and wants us to ‘try often’.” Hux winced at his own words. “It’s a complete pain in the arse to be perfectly honest,” he gave a wistful sigh, “although the hot tub is nice.”

 Oh, Phasma was definitely going to have words with Snoke.

 Despite not being at all ready to move in with Hux, Kylo was taking things in his stride. To him, this meant relaxing in the giant shared quarters whenever he wasn’t training. He was currently lounging in the hot tub, eyes closed, consciousness drifting somewhere in the swirls of steam above him. He could just about feel the pounding of his heart, anchoring him to his physical body and speeding slightly at the hint of rain rich grass that he’d come to associate with Hux’s mind.

 Coming back to himself, Kylo rose from the tub, water running down him in warm little rivers that made his skin tingle. He dried quickly, wanting to wrap Hux in his arms when he arrived but not wanting to have to deal with his complaints if his uniform got damp.

 True to form, Hux arrived a few minutes later, gasping slightly as he was lifted in Kylo’s arms and pressed against the wall. “You always know when I’m coming, don’t you?” he said, arms wrapping around Kylo’s neck, fingers threading through his wet hair, legs fastened tight around his hips.

 Kylo simply gave a low throaty chuckle, both hands on Hux’s ass, grinding his naked body against him, “Not yet, but if you give me a few minutes.”

 “Hmm very tempting.” Hux slid his fingers behind Kylo’s ear, making him shiver and tilt his lips towards Hux, kissing him slowly, thoroughly.

 Pulling reluctantly away, Hux sighed, trying to ignore his rapidly swelling erection. “I just wanted to check if Millicent had followed you here, she doesn’t seem to be in my quarters.”

 Kylo shook his head, pulling Hux closer, hearing the worry in his voice as well as feeling it vibrate from every pore. “She’s not hunting in the vents again?”

 Hux shook his head, “I noticed her tracker was stuck in the same place for a long while and when I checked she’d managed to get her collar off. I have no idea where she is.” Hux’s eyes were wide and helpless and Kylo felt an overwhelming wave of protectiveness wash over him. He pressed a kiss to Hux’s forehead, gently setting him back on his feet.

 “Let me just get dressed and I’ll help you look for her.” He brushed his thumb over one sharp cheekbone, “Everyone knows who she is so she won’t come to any harm. I can try and Force locate her if you like?”

 Hux blinked, “You can _do_ that?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow, “I mean, there are over twenty-seven thousand people on board, how can you find one cat amongst all that? You’re not going to strain yourself, are you?”

 Kylo smiled, pulling on his clothes, not bothering with the majority of the layers, smirking slightly at Hux’s look of appreciation. “It’s sweet that you’re concerned. I’ll be fine though, especially if you help me.”

 “Me?” Hux puzzled, taking Kylo’s outstretched hand, “I have no connection to the Force, what use am I?” It was a question that had crossed his mind plenty of times before, especially when his place in the Order was involved.

 Kylo lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the floor, gently tugging at Hux’s arm to do the same. “Do you mean right now, or in general?”

 Hux pursed his lips, “Did you read my mind? Because I’d really rather you didn’t.”

 “No.” They sat across from each other and Kylo joined their hands together palm to palm, meeting Hux’s eyes. “It’s because I _know_ you Armitage,” he threaded their fingers together, “and I care about you. If I were in your mind you would know it” He raised an eyebrow, “There’s a reason the interrogation room has restraints you know.”

 Hux simply nodded, not entirely convinced he’d be any help. “So what do I need to do?”

 “Just relax, think about Millie. Not about where she _might_ be or anything like that, just about her and what she is to you.” Kylo inhaled, eyes sliding closed. “Despite what you may think, the Force flows through every living thing. You care about Millicent, and feelings leave their mark.” He squeezed at Hux’s hands, “I’m going to follow that connection and find her.”

 Hux nodded despite the fact Kylo couldn’t see him and followed his example, closing his eyes and breathing deep. He thought of when he’d first found Millie, half feral and starving in an alleyway, the hours she’d spent hiding in the closet in his quarters before finally, tentatively sniffing at his hand, the weight of her on his chest, the sound of purrs, the silk of fur.

 Kylo smiled to himself, the radiant warmth of Hux’s feelings making his chest tight and his stomach flutter. In his mind’s eye he could see the shimmering thread that led from Hux and into the body of the ship, winding through decks like a web. He traced along the line onwards and downwards until finally the glimmer of life force that was Millicent was visible, and not alone either. 

 “She’s on Enth deck.” Kylo’s voice sounded so far from his own ears, “Server room nine, she’s playing with another cat, followed his scent. Kaplan’s cat maybe?”

 “I’ll need to ask him to keep him better contained then.” Hux’s voice echoed.

 Kylo’s consciousness was returning to him, flowing along the lines of Hux’s affection. He held their palms together, chest fluttering with the familiarity of the feelings.

 And then without warning he was in his own body, a silken thread of the same golden light connecting Hux’s chest to his own. Kylo swallowed, tears unexpectedly pricking at his eyes, knowing that Hux had felt it too. It was subtly different from his feelings for Millie, rawer, newer, still not cemented, but it was there.

 Kylo’s eyes fluttered open, breath quickening, “Oh.” 

 Heat rose on Hux’s cheeks, flustering him. “Kylo I-”

 “It’s okay,” Kylo interrupted, “You don’t need to say it, you’re not ready.” He wet his lips, meeting Hux’s eyes for a second and looking away. “ _I’m_ not ready.”

 Hux nodded in relief, “Okay.” He let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, “Okay.” Squeezing at Kylo’s fingers, he mustered up his courage, feeling his tongue stumble, “I do though.”

 Kylo smiled softly, eyes fixed on their joined hands. “I know.”

 “Okay good,” Hux bit at his lower lip, heart fluttering, “Let’s go fetch Millie then, shall we?”

 Luckily, Millicent’s explorations seemed to have tired her out and she happily acquiesced to Hux picking her up, butting her head into his neck and purring loudly. He wandered back to his own quarters, Kylo’s hand on the small of his back. Their silence was comfortable, warm. Nothing needed to be said.

 Kylo pressed a kiss to Hux’s forehead when they reached his door. “I’m gonna stay in my own rooms tonight. I think Millie needs your attention more than I do.”

 Hux smiled, stroking his hand through soft fur, “That, and we both need to rest tonight, we’ve a meeting with Snoke in the morning.”

 “Ugh.” Kylo scrunched up his face, “Thanks for reminding me.” He rolled his eyes at Hux who smirked and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

 “Goodnight then darling.”

 “See you in the morning.”

 Hux slipped through the door, finally letting Millie to the ground. She arched against his legs, circling and purring and Hux smiled fondly as he bent to scratch at her ears. “Did you find a friend today Millie?” He took her collar from his pocket, checking the tracker was still intact and fastened it back around her neck. “Try not to lose this though.”

 He changed for bed, smiling to himself when Millicent hopped up to curl in a ball at his stomach. Warmth bubbled through him and he imagined it pooling in his chest, sending it out along the line that connected he and Kylo together. Maybe, just maybe, they could make it through Snoke’s nonsense.

 *****

 “I have compiled a gift basket for you.” Snoke leaned eagerly towards Kylo and Hux, hands clasped in an anticipation that had the hair on Hux’s neck rising.

 “That is very… generous of you Supreme Leader.” Hux eyed the gaudily wrapped basket and shared a quick glance with Kylo, “We will take it back to our quarters.”

 “Oh no, you may open it now.” Snoke said in a voice that there would plainly be no arguing with. He settled back on his throne, waiting expectantly.

 Kylo took the basket, tearing the spangly wrapping off in one motion and setting it between himself and Hux. Together they reached in, both drawing their hands out at the same time, each clutching a scrap of silk and lace.

 “It’s…”

 Hux dropped the lingerie back into the basket, eyes flicking over the rest of the contents; more lingerie, nipple clamps, flavoured massage oils, dangerously flimsy wrist restraints, a rather impressive looking butt-plug. He didn’t dare think of Snoke buying them for them both, lest his composure fail completely. In the corner of his eye he could see Kylo’s fists tightening, the muscle working in his jaw as he tried to hold his tongue.

 “Supreme Leader,” Kylo’s voice was tight as he turned his gaze upwards, “exactly _why_ have you given us these… items?”

 Snoke delicately held up a finger and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “I am simply concerned that despite your best efforts you have not yet conceived.”

 Kylo sucked in a breath not quite believing he’d been right all along, “You really don’t get it?” He gestured between himself and Hux, words stumbling over themselves as he struggled to explain. “We’re both- It’s not-” Kylo groaned, trying to put it as simply as possible. “We can’t.”

 “Oh nonsense, I have every confidence in you both.” Snoke said completely oblivious to Kylo’s actual words. “I will check in on you in two weeks.”

 “No. You don’t understand, we literally ca- Aagh!” Kylo swung his fist at empty air as Snoke’s hologram disappeared. He turned to Hux, rage on his face, “This is fucking ridiculous!”

 “I know darling, I know.” Hux patted delicately at his elbow, the gift basket still hanging from one hand. “You tried to explain though.”

 Kylo just frowned. His body was filled with energy, he needed to hit something, fight someone. Do something to release the pent up frustration that was coursing through him. Hux’s hand was on his arm, gently steering him towards the door. “Where are we going?” Kylo asked.

 “Well…” Hux’s teeth slipped out to scrape across his bottom lip. “You’re quite clearly wound up, you need to vent your frustrations. And I-” Hux held the basket up for a second, giving it a little shake, “- found something black and lacy that you would look fantastic in.”

 “Really?” Kylo’s voice was flat, “You actually want to use this stuff?”

 “Well put it this way Kylo, he can’t do much worse.”

 *****

 He could.

 He definitely could.

 Hux blamed himself for cursing them, for thinking that Snoke’s complete incomprehension could go any deeper. And now he was paying for it.

 “A demonstration of your mating technique would greatly help me to devise a way to combat your current reproductive failure.”

 Snoke loomed above them, waiting expectantly but Hux could not move, he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t do anything but stand and turn progressively redder.

 Kylo stared at the floor, heat burning through him, shaking his head over and over. 

 No. 

 This wasn’t happening. He refused to accept it.

 “Is there a problem?” Snoke asked, almost kindly, and Kylo felt the words he’d been planning to say wither and die on his breath.

 Hux dug his nails into his palm, feeling the soft leather of his gloves preventing any injury. He had to do something, say something to stop this, if he didn’t do it now then it was never going to end.

 Hux swallowed, “Supreme Leader I confess I am unable to demonstrate for you. I am unable to-” he cleared his throat, trying to buy time for himself in coming up with the right words “-my physical state is not conducive to mating at this time, I’m afraid.”

 “I see.” Snoke leaned towards him, “Do you perhaps have trouble with your proboscis? I understand that a softening in the tissue may be a problem for your species.”

 “Yes Supreme Leader,” Hux said. Honestly, he’d be surprised if he could ever get hard again, given the sheer mortification that flowed through every inch of his body. “I apologise for my failures.”

 “This is merely a small setback,” Snoke waved a dismissive hand. “Do not worry, I will come up with a solution. In the meantime you may return to your nest.”

 Snoke disappeared and Hux fell to the floor, wanting to curl in on himself and vanish. He couldn’t keep doing this. He could vaguely feel Kylo’s arms around him, pressing him tight to his chest.

 “Armitage, it’s okay, he’s gone.”

 “But he’ll be back. Again and again and again!” Hux’s voice rose high and shrill, “It’s too much! I love you Kylo but I cannot keep going through this.” Hux buried his face in the crook of Kylo’s neck, breathing in the scent of his skin in an attempt to regain control.

 “Maybe I can be of some assistance?”

 Kylo and Hux whirled around at the sound of footstep and found Phasma striding towards them. “Look. Don’t ask me why but I feel bad for Snoke giving you a hard time.” She placed her hands on her hips, “Now I have a good rapport with him so I can help you out a little.”

 Hux blinked as he was jabbed in the chest by one chrome plated finger, “First off, he thinks of this like an experiment, so one of his biggest concerns is the subjects well-being.”

 “And what exactly does that mean?” Hux said, straightening his uniform.

 “Make some demands, tell him you’re stressed. Get extra vacation time if you want it.”

 Hux raised an eyebrow, “Is _that_ what you did? I wondered how ou'd managed so many holidays recently. What experiment has he got running with you?”

 “That’s beside the point.” Phasma said, sidestepping the question, glad that her helmet concealed the heat rising to her face. “And if you know what’s good for you then you won’t ask again. Now, as I was saying, I can help you out, feed him information, pretend you’re going at it in every room on the ship trying to provide offspring or whatever he calls it.” She shrugged, “It’ll keep him off your backs at least.”

 Kylo eyed Phasma suspiciously, sensing a kernel of dishonesty in her words. “Why exactly would you do that? What’s in it for you?”

 “Well it keeps us all in Snoke’s good books at least,” Phasma said before pulling off her helmet and looking from Kylo to Hux, “And barring one or two mishaps, the ship has been running so much better since you two got together. I would quite like to keep it that way.”

 Kylo lowered his gaze, cheeks colouring slightly, “Fair enough.” he said.

 “We’ll need to think of a longer term plan though,” Hux crossed his arms, foot tapping as he concentrated. “If you could tell him how long pregnancy lasts then that will buy us a decent bit of time.”

 Phasma nodded, “I can do that, just do me a favour.” She stepped forwards, clapping both Hux and Kylo on their shoulders, “Don’t fuck this up.”

 Kylo grabbed for Hux’s hand, staring at Phasma in defiance. “We don’t intend to.”

 With a little snort of laughter Phasma turned to go, “Well then, I’ll let you know how things go at my next meeting. Lunch tomorrow, Hux?”

 “Yes, and thank you Phasma.”

 “Don’t mention it. _Seriously_.” Phasma left feeling proud of herself. Really, she was the only one in the Order who could get things right sometimes. At least Hux and Kylo were starting to realise that though.

 Kylo meanwhile was leading Hux back towards his rooms. They both needed rest, the stress was practically seeping from their pores. 

 Punching in the code he heard the familiar sound of Millicent’s meow greeting him as the door slid open. He led Hux to the couch, immediately pulling him into his lap. “Well that gives us a little time at least.”

 “Mmhmm,” Hux nodded, peering at Millicent and noting how chubby she was getting, “Now we just need to think of a way to convince Snoke he doesn’t need an heir.” He reached for Millie, feelling her rub her head against his outstretched knuckles. “You need a diet Lady Millicent.”

 “Oh leave her she’s fine,” said Kylo, resting a hand on Millicent’s stomach and freezing. “Oh!”

 “'Oh' what?” Hux sat up, “What’s wrong with her?”

 “Nothing,” Kylo smiled, petting Hux’s knee, “You’re going to be a grandpa.”

“What?!” Hux’s eyes widened, “Kaplan! I will need to have words with him about getting that cat of his cat seen to. It’s bad enough around here having to deal with Snoke, not to mention having to worry about rehoming kittens.” Hux paused with a sharp gasp, grabbing Kylo’s hand in a sudden tight grip. His eyes were wide and bright, the little smile of relief on his face far sweeter than Kylo had seen in days. He pulled Kylo towards him, kissing him thoroughly before pulling back, a slightly manic look on his face.

“I have an idea.”

 Kylo raised an eyebrow, looking from Hux to Millie as realisation dawned, a smile curving up his lips, “Oh this is _ridiculous_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna say hi? Questions for the Supreme Leader? [Ask away.](http://moonwalkingcrab.tumblr.com/)


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